


The Price We Pay

by CzechKris91



Category: Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto Series (Video Games)
Genre: Action & Romance, Drama & Romance, F/M, GTA IV warnings apply
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:49:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 392,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CzechKris91/pseuds/CzechKris91
Summary: Things never went the way he wanted them. Sometimes it worked out, and other times it went horribly wrong. He paid the price when he decided to join his cousin in Liberty City. And now those around him would have to suffer for the choices he made. He only hoped he could keep those close to him safe when Death came to collect.
Relationships: Niko Bellic/Kate McReary
Comments: 45
Kudos: 29





	1. A Dish Served Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so this is my first attempt at GTA fanfiction. I typically don't write anything, and I've had this idea float around in my head about having Niko pushed to his limits. I’m not sure it’s any surprise – BUT – spoiler alert. There are some spoilers to the end of GTA IV. If you haven’t played the game start to finish, or read enough to know what takes place, then don’t read much further. 
> 
> This is most definitely rated MA. Like the video game there is intense violence, blood and gore, nudity, mature humor, strong language, strong sexual content, and the use of drugs and alcohol. This is for mature audiences and you've been warned. Disclaimer- I don't own GTA IV or any of the characters associated with it. Enjoy!

“You’re about to learn a lesson, actions have consequences. You screwed me over, now you’re paying for it. Shame that’ll be the second last thing that goes into your head. Goodbye.” Niko held his combat shotgun tightly and aimed for Dimitri’s chest. His finger pressed firmly to the trigger guard, not wanting to end the pathetic excuse for a man just yet. _‘Let’s just see if he grovels… like the rat he is.’_

“You’re the one who’s going to learn a lesson. People aren’t going to be happy if you kill me. _Stupid motherfucker_.” Dimitri stumbled slightly from the wounds he sustained from the grenade blast. Blood started to form small pools from where it ran rivers down his legs and off his shoes; His suit now sporting bright red blotches. The boat rocked as the tide changed outside, causing him more trouble to stay balanced than normal. The pain would be next to nothing if he could just convince Niko to not kill him. Then he could get some much needed medical attention. His eyes hardened and he squared his shoulders. Niko wouldn’t kill him, he’d had too many chances before now to finish him. What was one more chance?

Firming his feet and adjusting to the sway of the ship Niko prepared to pull the trigger. To end the man’s life who had burned down his cousin’s apartment and cab business, betrayed him multiple times, kidnapped Roman, and was now spewing desperate remarks at him. No, there would be no more chances. There would be no second guessing. This was his revenge; this was the start to a new beginning. Niko’s eyebrows were drawn down, the crease in his forehead becoming more pronounced, and the sweat and blood splatter began to trickle down the side of his face. Anger burned in his chest and sped up the rapid cadence of his heartbeat. The end was so close; He just needed to pull the trigger. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a slightly mocking smile, “I’ve never been popular. I don’t mean to start now.”

Panic flashed across Dimitri’s features, the realization setting in that this was it. “Go easy on me! We were friends, remember?” Again the stumbling was a little more pronounced as he desperately tried to back away from death. “Don’t do it.” His voice was quiet, his mind racing trying to think of a way out of it. He gripped his chest as another painful wave crashed through him.

Rage burned in his stomach as he thought about all he had accomplished and all he still had left to do. All the money he could still get his grubby little hands on. “You’re fucking a lot of people over by killing me. It was a long time ago that I pissed you off. Forget about it.” His mouth stung with the taste of metal. His chest seized sharply and caused him to cough-wheeze up whatever was blocking his air passage. Lurching slightly with the force of the cough, he managed to right himself and keep his feet underneath him. Blood seeped from between his lips and he roughly wiped it away with the back of his hand. He could see the barrel of the blasted shotgun move every time he got away from the kill shot.

“It was never my idea to set you up. I didn’t mean nothing. Please!” His mind was slowly slipping away into madness. _‘It can’t end like this!’_ His vision was starting to blur from the blood loss.

Niko was focused. More focused than he had ever been in his whole life. The hollow words that left Dimitri’s mouth never registered in his brain. He followed the stumbling movements with his shotgun making sure the first shot would hit Dimitri’s heart. A coldness began to sit over his shoulders, and everything seemed to melt away from him. The pain from the few shots that managed to hit his bulletproof vest vanished, the throbbing from the slight headache ceased, and the roar of rushing blood in his ears quieted. There was a weird sense of peace that came before he dealt a killing blow. Like Death himself stood beside him, whispering words of encouragement.

Dimitri’s babbling continued, “Think about Pegorino, he’s got nothing without this deal. You don’t need to do this. Niko, it’s not too late, we can work this out!” Dimitri extended his arms trying to show his intentions. Pegorino would surely lose everything if this deal didn’t happen, and the last thing he needed was another pissed off wanna-be mob boss after him. Maybe if he could get Niko to think about it, he could get away with his life and escape back to Russia.

Dimitri stumbled backwards one last time, catching himself before he tripped. He felt cold, like the heat of the cargo bay was suddenly sucked out. His fingers felt numb and he could still feel his heart pounding away trying to force blood back into his appendages. Somehow he knew medical attention wouldn’t save him. Not this time. Death stood across from him and he beckoned him home. A small smile graced his lips as he accepted his end.

“Hey, come on, we got history.” Dimitri wheezed out through bloody lips. His eyes unfocused as he tried to look Niko in the face. To take one last look at his killer before passing on.

_‘History, yeah, and that’s what it will always be. History’_ Niko slid his finger onto the trigger and pulled. The shotgun kicked back into his shoulder causing him to wince in pain. The slug penetrated Dimitri’s chest and a bright vibrant red spray exited his back- staining the dirty metal wall behind. The body fell backwards and thumped to the ground with a sickening whack.

Niko walked cautiously closer to the twitching body and hovered over it, making sure to watch the hands for any sudden movements. He didn’t think Dimitri was armed anymore, but one can never be too careful. Keeping his shotgun at the ready he looked over the bloodstained face of his enemy. Faded, clouded, blue eyes looked up at him behind cracked, black rimmed glasses.

Kneeling down to be closer to the dying rat of a man, Niko frowned. “I should have put you out of your misery a long time ago. Goodbye, Dimitri.” Standing up slowly, feeling the protest from his tired legs, Niko held the shotgun over Dimitri’s face and pulled the trigger one last time, turning to not have to see the face get shredded into an unrecognizable mess. The echo of the gun blast seemed to herald a stillness and quietness to the ship.

Retreating a few steps away from the dead body, Niko waited for the finality to set in. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, greedily sucking in big gulps of air, expecting some sense of joy or fulfillment to awaken in his soul. When no such reaction occurred, he let out a long suffering sigh, his heart rate slowing with the disappointment of not feeling accomplished. Perhaps he needed to get some fresh air. To let his body heal and to just let go of everything. Loosening his grip on the shotgun he allowed his hands to relax slightly. He glanced down to his worn, dirty hands and sighed again. _‘So much blood has been spilled from my hands’_

He looked around the cargo hold of the Platypus noticing all the dead bodyguards and toppled over crates. Bullet holes riddled most of them and the ones closest to him held charred marks from the grenades he threw. Maybe not the smartest idea since he was on a ship docked in a harbor. Last thing he needed was to swim his way out of a sinking ship.

Niko started to head toward the exit of the cargo hold and begin his trek up to the deck. He needed off this boat and away from the mangled corpse of Dimitri. The smell of death, sweat, and gunpowder was enough to make his stomach churn violently. Where he once welcomed the smell, it now repulsed him. He could feel the ache in his bones with every step of the stairs on his way up to the top deck. Each step seemed to take forever as he climbed another section of stairs. The ship pitched again and caused him to fumble into the wall, his surefootedness escaping him as he braced against the cool metal wall of the ship. He grunted with the effort to push off the wall, his hand lingering to help provide balance as he made the last march down to the exit. Reaching the large, heavy metal latch, he paused, checking the hallway behind him for approaching enemies. He could smell the salty sea air and it caused a longing to be outside grip his heart. Taking the last few steps he crossed the threshold onto the deck.

“Finally,” he whispered to himself as he glanced around the deck. More bodies littered the area, some more expired than others, but all had met their end with his weapons. Reaching down he picked up his trusted tactical assault rifle. He had run out of ammo before he could get the cargo hold bay doors open and had left it by the entrance to the mess hall. Tossing the strap over his shoulder he slid the rifle around so it rested along his back. Out of old habits he checked his jacket pocket and loaded the last few slugs into the shotgun, reloading it to max. Shifting the rifle on his back to lay steady, he readied his shotgun incase more idiots decided to show up now that the boss was dead.

The nighttime air was cool and caressed his face gently as if in greeting. The sky was dark, and not a star was visible amongst the smattering of ominous gray rain clouds. He could almost taste the rain in the air and decided to hurry back to his vehicle. Being careful of the pitching ship, Niko managed to make it back to the boat ramp without incident. His body was screaming at him to rest. His chest, back, arms, and legs were burning with exhaustion and overuse. As silently as he could, he descended the ramp in search of his vehicle.

Eerily empty for such a busy harbor, Niko was thankful no one had called the police over all the gunfire. He was much too tired to outrun the cops at this hour, and really didn’t feel like calling Francis. They had definitely fired enough shots to be considered a small war. And whoever was the unlucky soul to board the ship next would be greeted with quite the bloody battlefield. A smirk pulled at his lips at the thought of being the only one to walk away from such a battle. The only victor. But he had planned on it. He was going to make them all suffer for the crimes committed against him and his cousin. His grudge was finally settled. 

Squinting he could barely make out his vehicle in the distance in the dimly lit harbor. His comet, well someone’s comet, was parked by the large shipping crane. He remembered stealing it in order to approach the docks undetected- or at least inconspicuous, as his own vehicle would be a dead giveaway. The black comet was still running as he had practically jumped out of it when he arrived, not bothering to turn it off. The idiot had left his keys in the car and was the reason why he had chosen to take it in the first place. _‘Who leaves their keys in the car? Do they not know where they live?’_ He would need to dispose of the vehicle tomorrow, for right now all he wanted to do was shower and pass out, and preferably soon.

Popping the trunk open, he clicked the safety on of his shotgun and placed it on the soft felt carpet. Slinging around his rifle from his back, he dislodged the empty magazine and grabbed a loaded one from the trunk and clicked it in. Checking the weapon was loaded and ready, he flipped the safety on and placed it next to the shotgun. Reaching behind him under his jacket he pulled his empty pistol out. Repeating the process, he removed the empty magazine and loaded the remaining magazine in. His movements natural as he had many years of practice loading, unloading, and assembling any weapon. Dropping the pistol into the trunk he unzipped his jacket and took it off. Finding the velcro straps of the bulletproof vest he yanked them loose. Heaving the heavy material over his head he dropped it into the trunk, he’d pull the bullets out later. Grabbing his jacket again he shoved his arms into the sleeves and zipped it up roughly. Holding his 9mm in his right hand he reached up with his left and closed the trunk lid with a soft click.

Checking his surroundings one more time, he walked around the vehicle to the driver side door. He plopped down in the driver’s seat and could almost feel the drag of his body as it begged for sleep. Closing the door he sat there for a moment. Closing his eyes he slumped back into the cushions of the seat and let his body relax slightly. It was finished. No more looking over his shoulder for that weasel. No more worrying about Roman getting killed by that maniac, well at least that maniac, there were still plenty of other loan sharks after him. But he could at least mark this off his shortening list of enemies.

“Perhaps I can quit this life and actually live normally. Or as normally as I can in this godforsaken country.” He grumbled under his breath. Cracking his eyes open he spotted the air condition controls and turned the heat on. He started to feel a chill settling over him and the last thing he wanted was to catch a cold. The warm air blew across his face and caused a silent sigh to leave him. Placing his pistol down on the passenger seat he fished out his cell phone from his jacket. He knew he’d have to answer to Pegorino eventually. But first he wanted to let Roman know.

Pulling up the number he pressed the call button and lifted the phone to his ear. It rang a couple of times making Niko wonder if he was still awake at this hour. When the call connected he could hear the grumbling hello from his clearly sleeping cousin.

“I killed Dimitri, it’s over. He was on the Platypus, the boat I arrived in Liberty City on. So it seems it ends where it began.” Niko traced the leather stitching of the steering wheel with his free hand, needing something to occupy his hands with.

“I guess you did what you felt you had to do. No deal, no money, no hot tubs and models. But Dimitri will not bother you again. I will see you at the wedding, yes? Remember to wear a suit.”

_‘Again with the money. Are you not concerned with anything else?’_ Niko thought bitterly. The least Roman could do was thank him for eliminating someone who was targeting them. “I’ll be there Roman, don’t worry.” 

“And bring that new girlfriend of yours- what’s her name? The one you told me only thinks of you as a friend. But let’s be honest, she wants you. What woman can resist such fine men as ourselves?” Roman’s teasing, and slightly mocking tone coming through with his words.

“Kate. And yes she is just a friend, or so she keeps telling me. I will check with her again about coming.” Niko rolled his eyes at his cousin’s way of matchmaking. He was the absolute worst at it. “I will see you at the wedding in two days, yes?”

“Of course cousin! Redheads are always the feistiest in bed. Better nab that before someone else moves in!” Roman ended the phone call before Niko could answer him. He hated when his cousin talked about the women he found interest in that way. Kate was waiting, and he wouldn’t push her if she wasn’t ready. But that still didn’t help calm his desires either. Dropping the phone in his lap he let out a frustrated sigh, and scrubbed his hands over his face.

Kate. The last person he wanted to think about at a time like this. He had probably just murdered fifty people on a ship with a ton of drugs on board, and if she knew, she’d probably quit talking to him. He assumed she was aware of his line of work, since he was almost always doing something for one of her brothers, but as far as the details went? He couldn’t be sure. She was a good person, too good for him. And the fact that she had pestered Patrick into giving him her number frustrated him.

He had been burned by Michelle- sorry _Karen_ \- and wasn’t really looking for a relationship. Then Kate goes and forces her way into his line of sight, throwing him for a loop with all her talks and wanting to hang out. He hesitated at first. Thinking of it as some kind of farce from Patrick. Wanting to catch him hitting on his sister. But after debating for several days, he gave in to this need to speak to her, the incessant drive to figure out why she wanted him to have her number. It was a complete mystery to him and the only way to solve the riddle was to call her.

Her happy, delighted voice was a balm to his troubled soul, and he couldn’t help but smile in her presence. She made him feel needed in a way that no one else did. He could satisfy his lustful desires anywhere in this city, he could go drinking with his friends and cousin, he could go kill people by doing a job for some mob boss, but no one made him feel like he was _needed_. Wanted sure- by police, by crazed people in his past, by the street hookers who waved to him as he passed by. But she wanted to simply spend time and get to know him- not what he could do for her, but to know what made him tick. And if waiting only kept building up the suspense then it would be worth it.

She was a complete mystery to him. Her giddy personality made him wonder if it was a front at times. Patrick had mentioned in passing about her seeing a brutal fight between her brothers, and her father was no saint to any of them. But she never mentioned it. Maybe he wasn’t asking her the right questions. Everyone had a past; Kate’s was just out of his reach.

Niko leaned back into the seat again and lamented himself for thinking about the strange woman that kept him on his toes. She had stated multiple times at the conclusion of their so called dates, hangouts to her, that they were just friends. He began to despise that word, the label of friend. Mallorie called it friend-zoned. But he didn’t believe that to be true. She wouldn’t keep saying yes to his asking for dates if he was truly friend-zoned. Feeling the throbbing of his tired muscles he focused his mind on getting back home, to a nice hot shower and a comfortable bed. Kate could wait till morning.

Thunder clashed overhead and he decided it was probably time to head home before the rain started. Putting the car in gear he slowly pulled away from the docks. His mission was complete for now and he could deal with frustrating women and pushy cousins later. Before he could reach the main gate, his phone started ringing. Looking down at it in his lap he picked it up and saw Phil’s number flashing. Feeling uncertain Niko answered the call.

“Hey, it’s Phil. I understand why you made the decision you did. For what it’s worth, I didn’t trust that Dimitri neither.”

“Yeah, well, I did what I had to do.” Niko wasn’t sure where this phone call was going, or how Phil knew of his decision so quickly.

“Anyway, you and me can’t talk no more, Jimmy’s falling apart. The Pegorino’s ain’t nothing no more. I’m out man. Goodbye.” The call ended abruptly and caused Niko to slow his driving coming to a stop just outside of the gate.

_‘Jimmy’s falling apart?’_ Niko’s stomach churned again, and he didn’t like the way that sounded. The man was a lunatic to begin with and how much further he could go wouldn’t bode well for anyone. Especially since he just ruined his deal. Niko scoffed at the idea of making a deal with Dimitri, and found he was glad he hadn’t. But if Jimmy really was mad and was losing it on everyone, Niko was in trouble. Jimmy would come after him, of that he was sure. He just cost the Pegorino family a quarter of a million dollars. The safe house in Alderney was definitely not safe anymore. And he would not be returning any time soon. Plus the place was a dump. Turning the direction toward one of his safe houses, he started to pick up speed. No one was out driving at this hour and the empty roads were a blessing.

“If he thinks he can come after me, he has another thing coming. There is no way I’m going to let some failed deal be the end of me.” Niko whispered in the car, not really paying attention to the street signs as he turned down another long expanse of road before it was covered by the elevated transit line tracks. He had come too far, done too much, to let one more person try and end his life. He was so close to being done, so close to being free- nothing was going to stop that.

_‘Who knows? Maybe if I tell Kate I’m done with the criminal life she might actually consider a real date.’_ Now that was a thought. She had said she didn’t like what her brothers did. On more than one occasion she asked why he did what he did, and that his answer of money was never a good enough one. But he always hesitated when he thought about telling her about the real reason why. That his past had followed him, more like chased him, to Liberty City and away from some very bad people. Only to wind up back with some very bad people in a new country.

When he pulled up to a stoplight, he noticed he was close to the McReary house. He just needed to turn down the street and he could drive past her place. He glanced down the dark street at the red light, car humming beneath him. He had driven this route more times than he could count. On occasion he would drive by just to make sure everything was all right. At first it was just a precaution. She was innocent in everything, and he had racked up enough enemies that he couldn’t be sure she was completely safe. Not to mention enough people disliked her own brothers. But every time he drove by, the place was peaceful, and Patrick’s car was sloppily parked in front of the steps to the house on the street.

A nagging feeling started to pull at his heart. One that usually lead to more gunfights than he could count. _‘The street is too dark. Where are the streetlights? They should be on at this hour.’_ As if his thoughts confirmed his feeling, he felt his heartbeat pick up. _‘It’s just the streetlights, nothing is wrong…’_ But how many times had his thoughts been right lately? Before every job he could almost sense the danger that lay ahead. And it always gave him this forewarning before being shot at. This wasn’t something he could ignore, no matter how much his body protested the delay of getting home.

Turning his headlights off and having only the running lights on, he turned down Savannah Avenue. The street was completely dark. No one’s house lights were on, not that anyone should be awake at two in the morning, but it didn’t sit right with him. This street always had porch lights on, and the streetlights attached to the transit rail line were always on. He could feel an itch forming between his shoulder blades and it put his mind on edge. He never spoke of the McReary family to Jimmy, namely Kate, but maybe he knew something, something that would be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Something that would hurt Niko much deeper than burning down his cousin’s apartment, or empty threats of having him killed.

He slowed the car down to a crawl. Not wanting to rev the engine in case someone was looking out for him. He coasted down the quiet street, silently counting the number of houses till he got to Maureen’s house, the matriarch of the McReary family. He reached over and gripped his pistol needing to be ready in case something was truly wrong and brought it up to rest against the steering wheel. His eyes scanned the houses as he crawled by looking for shadows of moving people. Glancing ahead of his car he could see light shining from one of the houses in the row of brownstones. His stomach dropped when he realized the only house with lights on was the McReary home. Even the stop light at the corner of their street was out, not blinking like the power had gone out, but just _out_.

_‘This isn’t right. Where is Patrick’s car?’_ He pushed on the brake slowly and caused the car to slow its approach to the house. Niko clicked the lights completely off on the vehicle and made sure the inside ones wouldn’t come on when he opened a door. Turning the key in the ignition off, he left the car in neutral, and made sure to stop just before their house. Making sure to stay in the shadows and out of sight from the windows of the house, he brought the car to a complete stop. Pulling the emergency brake he made sure the car wouldn’t move. Breathing out slowly he focused on the house, everything just seemed so out of place it was making him feel uneasy.

The house’s porch lights were on, and from what he could tell so was every single light in the house. The curtains were drawn on the front lower windows, but he could still see light pouring out through the cracks in the drapes. Carefully he turned the brightness down on his phone and started to type out a text to Patrick.

“You at your mom’s Packie? – Niko” The message dinged when it went through, and he sat waiting for the reply. He clicked the silence button on his phone and made sure the vibrate function was on. When the response wasn’t immediate, he decided he would just have to check the house out on his own. Pulling the trunk release handle, the trunk popped open rather loudly causing Niko to pause and look back at the house for any movement. Shifting his hand to the door handle, he gently lifted it to open the door. The door creaked with the motion and Niko pushed it open. Ducking out of the car he crouched low and walked to the trunk. He didn’t shut the door, not wanting to make any unnecessary noise. Reaching the front of the comet he lifted the trunk only far enough to grab the assault rifle before pushing it back down to close. The audible click made him flinch as it echoed down the street. Lowering himself to below the car profile he checked how much ammo he had. His pistol only had one magazine and it wasn’t full. His assault rifle on the other hand had a full magazine. Sliding the strap over his shoulder for the rifle he made sure it was secure before tucking his pistol into the back of his pants. He only had a couple of bullets and would use it as a last resort. Leaning up he glanced at the house again before moving quietly toward the light, rifle at the ready.

The street was too quiet; there was no noise of other cars driving on nearby streets, no TVs audible from the surrounding houses. It spooked Niko slightly at how eerie it all was. Reaching the steps of the house he looked up at the front door. What he saw only confirmed his fears. The door appeared to have been kicked in before roughly being shoved shut. _‘I’ll have to go around back if I want to surprise anyone inside.’_

Niko could feel the anger starting to boil in his blood. What if something had happened to Kate? Shaking his head, he took off for the edge of the building to be able to get into the backyard. Moving the rifle around to his back he leapt up to grab the edge of the brick fence. Pulling himself up and over, Niko landed with a soft thud. His knees protesting the abuse. He needed rest, and needed it soon, or he would be of no help to anyone. The back of the house was lit up as well and caused him to pause on the edge of the light. His eyes scanned the back door for signs of forced entry. Not seeing any gave him a small sense of hope, that maybe it was only one attacker, and Packie had been home and taken care of the problem. But then why was this house the only one lit up? And why would he leave his sister and mother after a break in?

_‘Too many questions, just need to get in and make sure.’_ Climbing onto the back porch, Niko approached silently and in a crouched position. Moving the rifle to his side he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out his picklock kit. Raising himself only enough to be able to look in through the glass of the kitchen window, he scanned for anyone. Counting to five and not seeing anyone he set to work on unlocking the door and getting inside. They could forgive him later for ‘breaking in’.

The quiet click of the lock opening caused a small smile to tug at his lips. Shoving the lock picking tools back into his jacket pocket, he readied his rifle and reached for the door handle. Turning as slowly and softly as he could he pulled the door handle toward him. The door opened soundlessly, making Niko thank whoever had recently oiled the hinges. Opening the door only wide enough to see inside, Niko scanned the kitchen for any signs of a struggle. Open empty beer bottles sat on the kitchen table and dirty plates were stacked up next to the sink. He could slightly smell the aroma of their dinner and felt his own hunger grip his ribs.

Entering on silent feet Niko raised his rifle and started to sweep the room. Opening the pantry he checked for intruders. No one was hiding there and he noticed the knife set on the counter. The large chef knife was missing. _‘Odd…_ ’ Their mother was usually picky about everything being in its place. He looked around and didn’t see it laying anywhere. Reaching for the second largest knife, he pulled it from the block and twirled it between his fingers. Perhaps a silent kill was in order?

Tucking the knife against his rifle, to where it ran the length of the barrel, he held both it and the gun as he approached the living room from the back. Following the wall, he kept his blind spots to a minimum. The fireplace was still going, and it looked like someone had left it to burn out for the night. Only the embers were glowing. The lamps in the corners were on and the overhead fan was also on. Sweeping the room, he cleared it before moving toward the dining room and stairs. He strained his ears trying to pick up light snoring or talking, but the silence that greeted him was unnerving. The dining room was just as empty as the rest of the downstairs level.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and made him startle slightly. He didn’t have time to answer; he needed to finish checking the place. Steading his suddenly uneven breathing he began his ascent up the stairs. Making sure to place his foot on each stair, checking the step before applying his weight for noise, the process was tedious and painfully slow. His eyes were trained on the landing and his rifle was steady, as he kept moving up the stairs. He couldn’t hear anything, and it worried him more than anything. If someone had broken in, shouldn’t there be yelling? A sound of a scuffle?

Reaching the landing he paused listening for anything that sounded off, but the only thing he could hear was silence and he found himself wishing for anything other than the quietness that greeted him. There was a door close to the landing and he figured he would start there and work his way through all the rooms. Keeping his eyes on the brightly lit hallway he moved to the closest door and reached for the handle. Shifting to where he could shoot should someone jump him from inside, he lightly pushed the door open. What he wasn’t prepared for was the sight before him.

Lying on the queen-sized bed was Maureen. Her head fell limp over the foot of the bed and her eyes stared blankly back at him. A bullet hole marred her forehead between her eyebrows. Niko felt his blood run cold and he quickly made his way over to the edge of the bed. Disbelief warred inside of him. His rifle fell limp to his side, the knife embedding into the carpet at his feet when his fingers lost their grip. His hands shook as he reached out to touch her shoulder. Blood had pooled down the comforter and stained the carpet at the foot of the bed. Bile rose up in his throat at seeing the poor old women meet her end this way. Her nightgown showed slash marks across her chest and stomach, blood had seeped through the cuts and turned the crisp white cotton red.

Nikos throat tightened and he had to fight back tears. This woman didn’t deserve the end she got. She hadn’t gone after anyone and from his understanding hadn’t participated in anything her boys had partaken in. She had been tortured before getting a bullet to the head. The ring on her finger was missing, and he noticed that the jewelry box was open and empty on the dresser across from the bed. The lamp was knocked over and was titled toward the window. The chair in the corner was also turned over. Touching his fingertips to the back of her hand, he felt the slight warmth of her skin. _‘Too warm, must have just happened, or at least an hour or so ago… even the blood is slowly coming to a stop.’_ Niko looked her over once more before tearing his eyes away. He had seen so many dead bodies in his life. Men, women, children, friends, and comrades. But those you were close to never got easier to see dead. He swallowed the bile that had forced its way up his throat as he couldn’t wrap his mind around her death.

A sudden chilling thought crossed his mind. _‘If she is dead- no!’_ His eyes widened in fear as he turned toward the door of the bedroom. Scooping up the knife he started a mad dash for the doorway. Screw stealth. He couldn’t waste any more time to make sure Kate was okay. His fear was pounding through his body and a cold rage was brewing in his stomach. No one would live if a hair on her head was damaged. Reaching the door, he paused and tried to steady his shaking hands. He would be no good in a fight if he couldn’t stay somewhat calm. Moving forward down the hall he could tell which door was hers as the light was on and there were moving shadows he could see in the space between the door and the floor. Creeping toward the door he froze when he saw the handle start to turn, and ducked into the closest room, hiding behind the open door.

“Would you hurry it up, I want my turn dickhead!” an unrecognizable man’s voice carried down the hall when the person exited the bedroom. Footfalls approached Niko’s hiding spot and he glanced around noticing he was probably in the only bathroom upstairs. Shifting his rifle quickly to his back and away from his arms, he readied the knife. He would slice the man’s throat and kill him as quietly as possible. He was ready, no one was going to be leaving this place tonight that wasn’t him or Kate. The steps got closer and Niko smirked at the idiot’s timing and luck. He would be able to separate the enemies and kill them without the other knowing.

“Fucking asshole gets all the fun, can’t keep waiting like that when I got to piss,” the man grumbled as he entered the bathroom and clicked the lights on. The man was dirty, and his clothes looked ragged. ‘ _Definitely not someone of importance or with organized crime._ ’ The man was dead he just didn’t know it yet. The man reached for the edge of the door to slam it shut with one hand and started to fiddle with his belt buckle with the other. Niko acted quickly, and with precision, lashing out and grabbing the unsuspecting person’s head by placing his hand over his mouth and jabbing the knife deep into his neck when he jerked the head sideways. Clenching on his mouth to keep any sounds from escaping, he removed the knife and jabbed it back in, repeating the process several times. Blood droplets flew everywhere when the knife exited and entered the man’s throat and soft tissue of his shoulder. A slight gurgling sound emitted from the persons throat and Niko knew he was starting to drown in blood. Slashing the knife one last time across the throat, deep enough to ensure death would be quick, Niko lowered the body to the ground, not caring of the life that left the dark eyes.

Being careful to not make too much noise Niko searched the man’s pockets for anything useful. What he wasn’t expecting to find was a picture of Kate, Maureen, and Patrick. The pictures were creased and looked like they had been folded and opened several times. Dropping the pictures to the ground next to the lifeless body he continued his search of the man’s pockets. He pulled out a cell phone and dropped it next to the photos. Then he found a couple of condoms, still attached to one another in their wrappers, and Niko swore under his breath. Things were adding up quickly and it wasn’t sitting well with him. The words the man had grumbled coming into the bathroom started to make glaring sense.

“Ебать нет _(_ _Yebat' net)_ ” Niko swore again as he stabbed the knife into the back of the dead person. Wishing he had castrated the bastard instead and watched the life slowly leave his face. He stood up quickly and grabbed his rifle. Whoever was in Kate’s room was done for. Stepping over the body Niko walked back into the hall. He wanted to kill the person all over again and felt such a rush of awareness moving down the hall. He could live with a few more deaths on his conscience. He could make out whimpering coming from the slightly opened bedroom door. Slowing his steps as he neared, he tried to discern how many people were in the room.

“You like that don’t you bitch?” A gruff voice muttered before more muffled whimpers floated to Niko’s ears. The man’s voice chuckled darkly before he could hear a slap, a louder muffled scream sounded. Niko briefly saw red and almost rushed in. But he needed to assess the situation and not put Kate in any more danger. He couldn’t hear any others in the room, but her whimpers were slowly killing him. She sounded so scared and hurt. Steadying his hold on the rifle he placed his hand on the door and began to inch it open.

“Don’t worry little whore I’ll have you primed and ready, just don’t you worry.” The man’s voice sounded slightly slurred and foreign, not quite Russian, but somewhere close. Niko couldn’t stand to listen to his taunting anymore. Shoving the door open Niko swept the room with his eyes checking for anyone else that could get a jump on him. Swinging his gaze back to the bed he felt his insides knot up. Kate was on the bed, her arms held above her head, the metal of handcuffs glinted in the light of the knocked over lamp, the man’s rough large hand was braced against her upper arm squeezing down on it beside her head. Her startled eyes turned his direction and the pitiful, helpless, look of fear she sent his way almost broke his resolve. She had a rag of some sort shoved in her mouth, and from closer inspection it looked like a ripped off piece of her pajama shirt. Her shirt was ripped open and her bare chest was exposed and brightly red from what he assumed was the slap he heard moments ago. Following her body down the length of the bed he saw how her shorts we shoved dangerously low on her hips and how the man’s other hand gripped them.

The rifle snapped to aim at the man’s head as what was happening in front of him came into focus. “The fuck are you doing to my girlfriend?!” Niko growled, his anger all-encompassing.

The man looked at him with such contempt, it made Niko’s hatred reach a boiling point. “What? Can’t share? And by the way she squirms you haven’t even had a go yet.” A sneer crossed his features and made him look sinister. “Her skin is so soft, and she fights back so hard. I don’t think you’ve been fucking her. Especially since I’m going to break her.” He tried to pull her shorts away from her body to slide his hand further down, causing her to squirm underneath him and scream at the intruding fingers.

Niko couldn’t look away from the man’s face, he was trying to steady his aim through his shaking hands, and her broken screams were making it hard to focus. Niko felt dizzy with all the emotions swirling around inside him, and he fought the urge to throw up. _‘Just shoot the fucker and be done’_

Seeing how his actions weren’t fazing the man with the rifle pointed at him, he roughly jerked the woman up against his body. He grabbed the back of her head and threaded his fingers through the mass of thick reddish brown hair, twisting her head to where it looked toward the man just inside the doorway. He was slouched over her prone body, his legs bent and resting on his knees over her thighs. The movement caused a few tears to tumble over her cheeks. Her hands dropped instinctively across her breasts trying to cover her body from view, even with the handcuffs on she managed to get her arms to cover most of herself. The man’s other hand removed from her shorts and reached toward her face roughly grabbing her cheeks and squeezing a couple of times before lightly slapping her.

Niko followed his movements and almost took a shot before her head got too close to his chest. He couldn’t risk it with her so close to the vile man. His eyes briefly dropped down to meet hers, to communicate that everything was going to be okay, and he felt himself freeze for the second time that early morning. The man’s pants were undone, and it clear of what was about to happen. If Niko had never felt such a refined hatred before, he felt it now.

“She may not have put out for you, but I’m sure she has a very talented mouth. Have you felt the warmth and wetness of her tongue?” He let out a cackle through a lewd smirk toward the clearly Slavic looking man standing there staring at him holding a rifle.

Kate struggled against his hold and tried to move her face away from the man’s crotch. Her eyes closed tightly, and she tried desperately to pull away from him. The man slapped her one last time before forcefully twisting her around to face Niko more fully, his hand trying to grope her breast behind her arms. “Come on, whadda say? Can’t we share? I’ll let you take the backdoor!”

Something inside Niko snapped, and was surprised no one else heard it. He was so completely enraged that the last few words barely registered to him. His shaking had stilled with the need to see this man’s head to snap back with the force of a bullet from his rifle. He took aim and prayed the jackass wouldn’t move too much. He needed to kill him and swiftly, she had suffered too much, and it needed to end.

“ _Fuck you, you piece of shit!_ ”

Between one breath and the next he pulled the trigger rapidly in succession. The bullets flew toward the man’s head and chest, impacting with trained accuracy. The ugly man’s head snapped back with the impact of the first bullet and caused his grip to loosen immediately on Kate. The second bullet slammed into his chest and forced his body to slump back toward the wall the bed was rested against, his body shifting off of her legs. The blood spray from the wounds painted her cream colored walls bright red, and a few of the droplets sprayed onto her face. The noise of the gun caused Kate to shriek around the piece of pajama shirt and she attempted to move out from under the dead person’s legs.

Niko felt his whole body give one great big shudder as he watched the man fall backwards toward the wall. If there was one kill he wished he could do over and over, it would be this one. Kate’s suppressed sobs caught his attention and he immediately went into action. The strap of the rifle lifted up over his head in one motion, his finger clicking the safety on, and he dropped the rifle to the ground with a loud clatter. He took three steps toward the bed and reached out to grab her shoulders. Hesitating only a moment before gently laying his palms on her shoulders.

Kate’s eyes were glued shut and she had buried her face into her handcuffed hands. Her body shook with the sobs and the tears ran like rivers down her face. Her skin was littered with slowly forming bruises and vibrant red lines. Her hair was a wild mess of curls and tangles and was barely held back with the hair tie.

“Kate. Katie. It’s me, Niko.” He spoke softly and tried to not jar her too much. He was unsure of the extent of her injuries and didn’t want to cause her any more pain. She didn’t seem to hear him as she continued to cry and press her face further into her bound hands. As carefully as he could he sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She immediately buried her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder and gripped the front of his jacket tightly. He could feel how her whole body kept shaking with every broken cry that tried to make it past her gagged mouth.

Shifting her just enough to move a hand to her face, he attempted to remove the crumpled piece of cloth from her mouth. As if she could sense what he was doing she released his jacket and pulled the cloth from her mouth. He glanced down at her face when she started to remove it and had to force himself to not shake with anger. He could see red marks on her cheeks and chin from where she had been gripped too tightly. Her hands lightly chucked the offending torn clothing toward the dead body and returned their tight hold of Niko’s jacket, her face returning to the safety of Niko’s body.

“Let’s get you off this bed, okay?” Niko spoke softly again, being sure to sound more confident than he truly felt, “Do you think you can stand?” He felt her small nod against his neck. Lifting himself off the edge of the bed he slid his arm to her back and as carefully as he could he slid his other arm under her legs. Moving as slowly as possible he scooted her closer to the edge before hauling her up to his torso. Her grip shifted only enough on his jacket to allow him to move more freely. Her face never leaving its buried spot of the crook of his neck.

He felt his world crumble with the way her body went limp in his grasp. The sobs had quieted, but the tears continued to soak the collar of his shirt and jacket. He lifted her off the bed and made sure she was tucked securely to him before taking a few steps away. “I’m going to set you down now, will you be able to support your weight?” Again the small nod was felt against his neck. Lowering himself just a bit he let her legs slide off his arm. He caught her waist, his hand coming into contact with the baby soft skin of her stomach. He felt the flinch of her body as soon as his fingers brushed against the curve of her petite waist. He wouldn’t let go until he was sure she could stand on her own, even though he felt like he had burned her with the touch.

Her feet found purchase on the rug that covered the wooden floors of her bedroom. Her body shook with the effort of using her legs. They tingled with the rush of blood again. The man’s knees had been cutting off the circulation to her legs. She was shorter than Niko. Not quite a head shorter but she found that she could tuck herself under his chin. Not caring what he thought or how he felt, she crumbled into his body. Her hands found his jacket again and grabbed hold. Her face turned toward the door and she nuzzled into the odd worn out fabric of the jacket he wore.

Instinctively Niko wrapped his arms around her body pulling her closer, making sure his hands stayed on the tattered remains of her button down short sleeved pajama shirt. If she wanted the comfort he could provide, he would give it gladly. Her small delicate hands would surely make tears in the worn down leather of his jacket but he couldn’t seem to care. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and let out a shaky breath. For the first time since entering the house he felt like he could take a full breath. Her body quivered in his embrace and he wasn’t sure if it was from crying, the pain she was in, or the coldness of the house.

Tilting her away from the security of his chest he heard her let out a small whimper. His face fell and he gave her a sad knowing smile. He removed his hands from her back and unzipped his old leather jacket. Her arms were still pinned to her chest and her hands formed small fists. She looked terrified for a moment as she started up into his eyes. Letting the jacket slide off his shoulders, he pulled his arms free from the sleeves and pulled it off of him. Taking hold of the collar he flipped it so he could bring it around her shoulders. Delicately he placed the jacket over her and pulled it closed around her. Removing the sight of her bare flesh from him.

He smoothed his hands over the shoulders of his jacket that rested on her smaller frame and looked back into her eyes. She looked back at him and for a moment couldn’t decipher what was going through his head. Another couple of tears cascaded down her swollen and bruised cheeks. Lifting one of his hands he caught her tears with his knuckle, being gentle as to not anger the forming bruise.

“Would you like me to see if I can find the key for the handcuffs?”

She was so mesmerized by his uncanny ability to be so gentle with her that she didn’t hear the question. The continuous stroking of his knuckle on her cheeks was heavenly to her, and she closed her eyes on a silent sigh. Her fingers gripped the zippered edge of his jacket and pulled the heavy material closer to her.

Niko sighed and looked away from her to the corpse slumped over against the wall on her bed. The key was probably in one of his pockets or in the mess of bedding that lay crumpled across the queen sized bed. Letting his knuckle catch one more tear he let his hand drop away and started to move around her toward the bed. Her bound hands reached out and gripped the closest one of Niko’s hands. He stilled his movements and looked back down to her, before dropping his gaze to how her hands held his. Her eyes were pleading with him not to move away. She didn’t want him to be out of her sight.

Lifting their joined hands, he placed a kiss to the palm of one of her hands, “I know those handcuffs can’t be comfortable, I can see how raw they have made your wrists. Let me find the key and free them for you, yes?” His fingers from his other hand trailed small circles on one of her wrists and she shivered at the contact.

_‘Since when has be ever been so gentle?’_ Her eyes scanned his face before she nodded. Not wanting to see the one who had touched her inappropriately she turned back toward the opposite wall. She didn’t think she’d be able to not throw up if she had to look at him one more time.

Niko took one last glance at the back of her head before moving on toward the bed. Kneeling on the bed, he began to crawl over to where the body laid halfway propped up against the wall. He hated even having to be close to this man, but it was for Kate, and he would willingly do whatever it took to make her safe and comfortable again. Searching the pockets of the jacket first he pulled out a faded leather wallet. Nothing but a few dollars of cash and the same three pictures that the other man had was in the there. Tossing it to the bed he continued to search the inside jacket pocket. He found condoms in one pocket, a small pocketknife in another, and a USB drive. Pocketing the USB drive into his jeans, he reached down to search the pockets of the dead man’s jeans. His fingers brushed against a cool metal object. Pulling it out of his pocket he saw the small metal handcuff key.

Sliding off the bed, he returned to Kate’s side. He moved around to face her and held the key out for her to see. A small twitch of her lips caused his own smile to appear. She removed her hands from inside the jacket and rested them on one of his. Turning her hands to locate the keyhole, he got a closer look at the damage done to her wrists. Angry red welts circled her wrists, which showed signs of her trying to pull her hands out of them. He could see the faint purple splotches forming underneath the red lines. _‘These will definitely hurt in the morning…’_

Locating the keyhole of the left wrist, he made quick work of releasing the cuff, before repeating the process for the right one. The cuffs fell to the ground with a loud clang. Niko dropped the key beside them not caring to touch them ever again. He cupped her hands and lightly traced the marks left by the metal handcuffs. Again she shivered at the touch. Feeling like he was hurting her, he let her hands go and watched as they disappeared into the folds of his jacket.

She couldn’t quite understand where this side of Niko was coming from. Sure he was nice, friendly, and polite around her, but she never really had the chance to be in his personal space. Sometimes it felt like he avoided it. She didn’t want to initiate physical contact before now because she had her own doubts about getting close to the mysterious immigrant with the shady past. She had slipped up once and kissed him on the cheek. The rest of that day she had spent it in her room not wanting anyone to see the furious blush that wouldn’t leave her face. But now, standing in her torn pajamas, wrapped in his jacket, after he had saved her life, she didn’t want to be anywhere but in his arms.

Once her arms were in the sleeves of his jacket, Niko reached down and pulled the zipper up, making sure it closed close to the base of her neck. He knew she was modest, and he had probably seen more of her skin than she ever would have allowed him to see before. Her bare legs still caught his attention where they emerged from the bottom of his jacket. Even her legs had bruises forming on them. He frowned at the sight of them. It seemed not a single inch of her was spared from the asshole he had killed.

“Niko, I…” Kate’s voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat to try to speak more clearly. Tears welled once more in her eyes and she couldn’t help it. The sight of him before her made her lose what sanity she had. She thought for sure tonight she was going to be forced into an act she wanted no part of and then killed. The men had taunted her of the things they wanted to do. And it made her sick to her stomach. She had heard a gunshot before they came barreling into her room and she could only assume her mother was dead. And once the touching, groping, and slapping had started she resigned herself to dying this night.

But Niko had shoved the door open and had come to save her. He had appeared in her line of sight and she felt relief at seeing him holding a gun. Every second he didn’t pull the trigger felt like a lifetime to her and once he had, it was like the world had stopped spinning. And he had been so gentle with her. Fresh tears began to tumble down her cheeks again and she hiccupped with the force of her sob.

“Hey, hey, I’m right here. No one is going to touch you.” Niko pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her once more. She held tight to him, her own arms finally being free were able to wrap around his waist, and she held on hard. Her face pressed into the center of his chest against his shirt and the tears left wet spots behind. Neither seemed to mind.

“I promise you, no one will ever be able to touch you if you don’t want them to.” Niko’s voice was steady, and it calmed her frayed nerves. She turned her head and placed her ear over his heart. She could hear and feel the strong beat of his heart and it left her wanting to stay put and listen to it for the rest of her life.

He felt her shift and the way her hands had splayed across his back gave him goosebumps. It had been a long time since someone had held onto him with such desperation. He berated himself for taking so long to enter the house. He kept replaying what was happening to her and he should have been there sooner. To spare her the suffering. Now she would be scarred of what took place this early morning.

A vibrate shook the jacket and caused both of them to jump. Pulling away slightly he slid his hand down to the outer pocket of his jacket and pulled his phone out. He had three text messages and one missed call. Clicking on the messages he noticed all of them were from Patrick. He shifted his gaze back to her before opening the first one.

‘Niko man! Course I’m not there! I’m out here prowling the club, care to join? – Packie’ It must have been the message he felt when he was downstairs.

‘Dude some crazy fucker just tried to stab me, he’s dead, but I ain’t ever been attacked like that! – Packie’

‘Okay something is up, no one is answering their phones at the house, I’m going to Ma’s. Meet me there. – Packie’

Then there was a call almost immediately after the last text was sent. Patrick must have figured out something was up, especially if he was attacked in the middle of a club. The buzz they just felt must have been the missed call reminder. Depending on what club he was at, he should’ve been home by now. Kate was staring at him over the phone and he shook his head.

“I texted your brother when I drove down the street, something didn’t feel right to me, so I asked him where he was. When I didn’t get a response immediately, I decided I would just check things out on my own.” His voice trailed off, not sure how to tell her he was glad he did.

“Thank you.” Kate whispered, “Is he coming here?”

“According to his last text yes.” He locked his phone and put it in the back pocket of his pants, “Do you want to go downstairs? We can wait for him there and figure out what to do. Do you want me to call Francis? We should probably have someone remove the bodies.” She paled at the mention of bodies and he could have slapped himself for being so blunt. She wasn’t as accustomed to death and violence as he was. 

“Ye-yeah, is there anyone down there?” Her voice broke and she shook slightly at the thought of leaving the safety of Niko’s arms.

“No, I checked the first floor thoroughly before coming upstairs, but I will make sure no one gets to you if there is someone else.”

“There was a second man...”

“I killed him in the bathroom down the hall.”

“Good.” Was the only reply that left her lips. Her legs shook at having stood for so long and she wasn’t sure how she would be able to make it down the stairs. She was glad that the men were dead, she was never one to condone violence, but she wanted them to pay.

Her answer shocked him slightly, even though it really shouldn’t. He wanted to kill them all over again for laying their hands on what he considered his. His. Not that she considered herself his, but he hoped that one day she would want something more than just going to the pool hall and throwing darts. Now he wasn’t certain if she would ever want to be close with him. Though with how close she held on to him now, maybe there would be a day.

“Do you need me to carry you? You’re shaking pretty bad.” He could feel the tremors that shook her body and didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to go down the stairs. He could almost see the relief that crossed her features before it was hidden once more behind the pale and scared looking girl.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I don’t trust myself to move.”

Niko nodded before moving around her to pick up his rifle. Lifting the strap up and over his head, he slung the rifle to his back and adjusted it to be more comfortable. Feeling for his pistol he doubled checked it was there. Looking around her room he noticed the way things were thrown around and it appeared she had put up quite the struggle. He could see the slight shimmer of the rings and necklaces that belonged to her mother on the floor by the dresser. _‘This was either a poorly planned robbery, or one fucked up murder attempt.’_

Coming back to her side he held his arms out for her. Without hesitation she moved silently into them and waited for him to lift her up. “Be careful of the strap, the safety is on, so it shouldn’t go off, just so you are aware.” She nodded her understanding and he bent to scoop her up bridal style. Her arms settled around his neck, and the tips of her fingers on one of her hands brushed the skin at the base of his skull. She must not have noticed because she started a slight rhythm of stroking her fingers up into the short hair on the back of his head and back down to his neck.

A tightness settled in his chest and he forced himself to focus on anything other than her soft fingers and the feel of her bare legs resting in his arm. Her head landed on his chest again and she closed her eyes letting out a slow shaky breath. He could do this. He could get them both down the stairs to the living room and have her on the couch in no time. Adjusting her one last time, he made slow progress back into the hall.

“Keep your eyes closed till we get downstairs okay?”

He felt her nod against him and startled slightly when she nuzzled into him, making herself more comfortable in his hold. Her fingers still lightly moving up into his hair and back down. She would be the death of him, of that he was sure. Pegorino had nothing on her ability to make his heart stop. All she had to do was look at him with her wide, fear stricken eyes and he would be willing to cross into hell for her.

He made slow progress down the hall, not wanting to move too fast and cause her any pain. He would make sure a doctor checked her out as soon as he was able. He had tried not to look, but he thought he saw cuts and bite marks on her chest when he first moved her off the bed. Passing by the open bedroom door of her mother he said a silent prayer. Hoping she hadn’t suffered too long and he asked for forgiveness for not arriving sooner. He may have been able to save her daughter, but he should have been able to get there to save her as well. Maybe if he had just shot Dimitri quicker and not let him ramble on, he may have gotten to the McReary house sooner. _‘Maybe’_

As if sensing his deep thoughts, Kate snuggled into him again as if asking him to quit dwelling on things. He looked down at the pale face of the woman he was starting to care more for. He wouldn’t be able to deny the feelings that grew every time she looked at him. And even now his heart tugged at him to do more for her. Making the first step down caused a slight hiss to escape her lips.

“What’s wrong?” Niko immediately stopped moving and watched her face for any signs of pain.

“I think the movement just caused my shirt to rub into a cut, I’ll be okay. I’d rather be downstairs right now.”

He could tell she was fighting the pain. A lone tear had fallen from her lashes and he felt his anger start to form again. He definitely gave the bastard a quick death. Back in his homeland he would have spent hours peeling the flesh from the bastard’s bones. Savoring every scream that ripped from the person. But he was too concerned with getting Kate out from under him that he did what was necessary. But that didn’t stop the thought of wanting to shoot him a few more times.

Moving slower than before he descended the stairs. Trying to be as smooth as possible. But it felt impossible to him, as every move seemed to elicit a gasp or groan from her. Once he reached the last step, he planted a kiss to the top of her head. She had been strong and held back her pain from him. Even though he didn’t like her feeling like she had to be strong in front of him, he could assume why she felt that way.

Seeing the fire in the fireplace had almost gone completely out, he moved over toward the couch that sat close by it. Lowering her battered body down to the couch he listened to her as she let out a quiet sigh of relief. She almost immediately melted down into the cushions. Her knees tucked up toward her chest and her legs folded behind her, her arms crossed in front and she pulled the jacket closer around her. Spotting the throw blanket on the back of the couch, he reached out and pulled it down on top of her. She had felt cold in his hands. _‘Probably from the shock’_

Kate blinked her eyes open and took in her surroundings. The living room seemed untouched. She watched as Niko grabbed a tool off the fireplace rack and poked at the fire. It stirred to life and she was glad for the warmth it provided. Their eyes met before he turned to move toward the windows.

Reaching the wall by the front door he clicked the overhead fan off and the light switch as well. The fan was making the room feel cold and he didn’t want her to start shivering. He could feel her eyes on him but forced himself not to look. Reaching out he clicked the closest lamp off before moving over to the other one. The window curtains were drawn shut and he moved one of them out of the way to check the street. The streetlights were still out, but he could see a car in the distance driving erratically.

Reaching for his rifle he readied himself incase this was the person who asked the two men to break in. When he noticed the make of the car, he lowered the weapon. Patrick had just tuned on to the street and pulled up to make a hard stop. The tires screeching with the abuse. He looked back to where he had left Kate and saw she had sat bolt upright and was clutching the jacket to her. He must have frightened her when he reached for the gun.

“It’s just Patrick-”

The front door slammed open and Patrick came rushing in, smg ready to go. He looked frantically around the entry way and noticed Niko by the window holding an assault rifle. He relaxed only slightly before he took notice of the few blood stains on his friend’s shirt and pants. His face also had a few drops of blood.

“The fuck happened to you?!” Patrick made his way over to Niko before realizing his sister was sitting on the couch, “Did you sleep with my sister?” Patrick roared when he saw that she was wearing his jacket. Her hair was a mess and it looked like she had been crying. The dim light hid her expression from him.

Niko looked between his friend and his friend’s sister, “Patrick, someone broke into the house. I managed to save your sister-”

Patrick was on him in a flash, his hands fisting into his shirt, and shook Niko. “Did you touch my sister?” he yelled into the face of his friend.

“No Patrick!” Niko grabbed Patrick’s wrists and shoved him away, “If you would just listen, I will explain!”

“Packie stop it! Niko saved my _life_!” Kate had yelled from her spot on the couch and started having a coughing fit. Her hands clutched at her chest. Patrick rushed over and knelt before her, cupping her face and reaching back he started patting her back. Blood came away from her hand when she wiped her mouth. Scared eyes lifted to find Niko and saw him heading for the kitchen leaving his rifle on the end of the couch.

“What the hell happened sis? You’re bleeding and wearing Niko’s jacket!” Patrick was running his hands all over his sister and was starting to panic. She looked a mess and was starting to hyperventilate. Patrick cupped her face and forced her to look at him. “Sis you got to calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t!” Her eyes shut tightly, and tears poured from them. Patrick tried to brush them away, but new ones kept coming. He could feel her trembling beneath his hands, and he leaned up to place a kiss to her forehead. “Breathe with me, everything is okay.”

Niko rushed back into the room carrying a bottle of water, a clean towel, and what looked like their first aid kit. He had gone to the kitchen to find some water for her cough. It sounded painful and he knew she would want something to drink after all the screaming she must have done from earlier. But when he heard the quick wheezing and panicked way Patrick was speaking, he knew he shouldn’t have just left the room without saying something. Setting everything down on an end table he sat down beside her, “Kate, it is okay, I’m right here. Your brother is here. No one is going to hurt you.” What he wasn’t expecting was for her to practically throw herself on him. Her arms circled his neck, her face buried into the crook his neck, and she leaned heavily into his body. His arms protectively wrapped around her as more sobs tore from her throat.

She almost climbed into his lap with her need to be close. _‘He walked away, he left me alone!’_ She held as tight as she could without causing herself pain, but she needed him to know she couldn’t be out of his sight. He had saved her, he had made the man stop touching her, and he protected her!

“Niko, man, what the hell is going on?” Patrick had lowered his voice. He hadn’t seen a panic attack out of his sister in years. She had been much younger when she would get them, and he hated that whatever happened was causing one to surface. He could almost feel her fear and anguish coming off of her in waves. He looked up into the surprised and stunned face of his friend. Clearly this was new to him.

“Two men broke into the house, it wasn’t good.” Niko continued to rub his hands down her back over the rough leather of his jacket. He leaned his head into hers and tried to offer whatever comfort she needed, “I got here too late.” It was a quiet whisper, but Patrick had heard it.

“Ma?” The Irish man whispered back, afraid of the answer.

Niko closed his eyes and shook his head no. He wasn’t going to voice his answer. Kate didn’t need the verbal confirmation. Not now anyway. Stroking one more time down Kate’s back he felt the tension start to leave her body.

“Is she?” Patrick pointed up the stairs and saw Niko nod. Getting up off the floor Patrick walked out of the living room and made the trek up the stairs. Niko followed his movement till he disappeared from view. He was sorry that the man had to see his mom that way.

Turning his attention back to the woman clutching on to him, he started his soothing strokes again on her back. He could still feel the wild beat of her heart thundering away in her chest, could even see the slight throb on her neck. Rubbing his cheek on the top of her head caused her to stir slightly. Without warning she lifted herself up and turned, planting herself in his lap. She was sideways, her legs curled up on the couch facing the fireplace. She found her way back under his chin and placed a hand over his chest. Her other arm wrapped around his neck. Her face was much closer to his jaw and he could feel her eyelashes when she blinked. Her breathing was slowing, and he hoped that meant she was calming down.

He was shocked at how she had just made herself comfortable on him. He remained still, scared to move in the slightest. She had crawled into his _lap_. And every time she would shift it would rub in the most inconvenient places. Had this been in any other situation he would have loved every second. He would have planted kiss after kiss to her beautiful face and neck, let his hands roam where they wanted. But he would shove his desires down; he would not violate her safety that she found in him. He would be whatever she needed right now, and if that was a comfortable place to rest, so be it. Slowly he brought his arms down to encircle her.

She hoped he would be okay. She didn’t like putting him in this situation, but dammit. She needed him, and the only way to keep her panic from rising up, was to feel him pressed to her. The way he held her up in her bedroom kept the flashbacks away and she desperately didn’t want to see or feel the man’s hands on her again. She prayed he wouldn’t resent her for this, but so far, he sat patiently and didn’t make any negative comment to say otherwise. She pressed her face into his throat and caught herself before she placed a kiss to his pulse point. She would be sure to thank him later.

“Please don’t leave…” Her voice was low, so low Niko wasn’t sure he heard it.

He felt his insides squeeze painfully with the way she moved and how her skin felt pressed into his neck. She would drive him wild one day, but now was not the time. He settled his one arm down her back and curve of her arm. The other he placed on top of her folded legs and caged her in to him. Removing his arm for a second, he lifted the blanket and covered her legs. The jacket had rode up her body when she moved into his lap and the only fabric to separate his hand from her skin was her shorts, and they barely covered the curve of her behind. Adjusting the blanket to prevent his hand from running all over her soft legs he rested it back on his other arm, holding her close.

Patrick had started to descend the stairs. His steps loud as his weight shifted from foot to foot- step to step. His voice carried down the hall to reach Niko’s ears.

“Yeah, thankfully Niko got here when he did.”

“No. I don’t know who.”

“You should probably hurry, Kate’s pretty torn up. Hell I’m fucked up.”

“Yeah the medical examiner is probably needed. Couple of bodies need to be identified.”

“Alright see you soon.” Patrick hung up the call and walked into the living room. He smiled at the way his sister was cuddled into Niko’s lap. He always knew she had a soft spot for his friend. Though his friend looked worse for wear. “You do the number on the guy in the bathroom?”

Niko nodded and was relieved when Kate had drifted off into sleep. “He wasn’t expecting a sneak attack. I needed to silence him before going after the other one.”

Patrick sat down in the armchair across from them, picking up his smg from the floor and laying it across his lap. “Do you know which one killed Ma?”

“No, but the one in the bedroom was doing some terrible things to your sister. I managed to stop him in time from doing something completely irreversible.”

Patrick paled but continued on, “I saw the condoms, none of them open. I owe you an apology for when I got here. You saved my sister and for that I will always be grateful. Poor Ma. She didn’t deserve that. I don’t recognize the two guys. You seen them before?” 

“Unfortunately no. I thought it might’ve been Jimmy’s guys, but they don’t give the appearance of one of the Italian mobs.”

“Pegorino’s? Shit man, you not running with those assholes are you?”

“No but I probably pissed them off earlier. I killed someone who was supposed to move some H for them. My contact said Jimmy was pretty mad. I was driving by the house on my way home when I noticed all the lights were out around the block.”

“Shit. You think he’ll come after you?”

“More than likely.” Niko’s reply was soft. He was worried that Kate would be in more danger now. If Jimmy could see the way he was holding her, she would wear a permanent target on her back because of him. He shook his head with the thought.

“Francis is on his way. He said he would have a few of the guys he trusts come by to remove the bodies and he said he would be sure to get Ma prepped for a funeral. Felt like yesterday we were burying Derrick.”

The two fell into silence, the crackling fire and the soft breathing of Kate the only noise in the room. Niko pondered everything that had happened in the last few hours. He felt drained, like he couldn’t take any more hits. He should probably warn Roman, he would be on the list of potential targets that Jimmy would go after.

“Heard your cousin is getting hitched. Congrats I guess.” Patrick kept looking at his sister who looked so peaceful curled up in his friend’s lap. He never imagined being in this position, let alone ever seeing his sister so comfortable in a dude’s lap. But things changed, and hopefully she would see what his friend was willing to offer. He knew Niko would never betray them and he would never hurt his sister. Hell, he would almost go so far as to say Niko would kill any man who looked wrong at her.

“Uh thanks. He is very excited. You should come, he would like to have more people there.” Niko rubbed her back in soothing circles, trying to keep his mind from drifting off into more dangerous topics.

“I’ll think about it, you might need the extra guns if Pegorino gets wind of the wedding…”

_‘Shit. I didn’t even think about that. It’d be the perfect ambush.’_ “Yeah, I will need all the help I can get. I was going to ask Kate to go as my date, but seeing as what happened tonight, I doubt she will want to go.” His voice trailed off as the thought of not having her at his side made his chest hurt. She would’ve looked so beautiful all dressed up and would have made him feel so proud to have her on his arm.

Patrick smiled knowingly at his friend. _‘Yeah he’s got it bad for my sis.’_ “So I’ll call some of the guys and see if we can get a security team together, maybe Francis can get some jackets out there looking too.” Not that his brother would ever do something for his family that didn’t pay off for him, but he would ask. If Kate was going to be going, he would be damned sure he had eyes on her. His guilt warred inside of him over being at some lame club while his sister was being violated and his mother was killed. He would be doing some serious reevaluating.

Niko only nodded before he heard a few cars pull up outside. His eyes flashed with worry and Patrick could see the silent communication to be ready. He didn’t want to jostle Kate off of him, but he felt helpless. His rifle was just out of reach and he couldn’t get to his pistol without waking her. Patrick nodded and moved to the front door with his smg. If someone wanted to fuck with his family, he was going to show them what’s up.

Car doors slammed shut and shouting could be heard. Niko didn’t like the way he was feeling. He felt caged, stuck, and he needed to get her out of the kill zone. Placing his hand against her cheek he ran the tips of his fingers over the bruise that was forming on her face. Gently tilting his face toward hers he whispered softly in her ear, “Wake up Katie, I need to get you some place safe.”

As if the words were shouted at her, her eyes snapped open and a wave of panic lashed across her body like fire. Her hand fisted in his shirt and her face tilted up to look into his dark chocolate eyes. Her breath caught in her throat at the closeness. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and she licked her own to wet them. His stubble was coarse, and she found she like the way it felt against her fingertips. His hand caught hers as she traced the line of his strong jaw. And he pressed a kiss to the pad of her thumb.

“Katie I need to move you, there are people outside.” Niko felt himself soften at the way she looked at him. Her fingers on his jaw almost had him losing the battle to not kiss her and instead settled for a light kiss to her thumb. Her eyes held a depth of yearning and he had to force himself to look away. Oh how he would love to get lost in her eyes and simply loose himself in her presence. The shouting was getting louder, and he looked away from her toward the door. Lightly shifting her off his lap he placed another kiss to the crown of her head before quickly standing and grabbing his rifle. He wouldn’t move from in front of her, he would be her shield from whoever was coming in the house.

Patrick shifted and caught Niko’s attention. The Irishman nodded and prepared himself to start shooting. No one would be hurting his family while he was present. No one. When the words became clearer from outside his eyes widened. Francis shoved the door open and stormed into the house. He looked furious and was ready to start lashing out to the first person that spoke.

“Oh for the love of all of Ireland would you put those away?! Can’t you stay out of trouble for a day? I can’t always keep cleaning up the messes.” Francis looked at Patrick before looking over at Niko. He was a little surprised to see the state he was in. He looked exhausted and like he’d been through hell and back. His clothes were dirty and there were blood stains everywhere. It caused him to pause. Sure he had asked Niko to do odd jobs for him, and yes they were dangerous. But here was the proof of just what kind of person he had hired.

“Boss can we come in? We’d like to get started so we can head home before the day shift gets in.” One of the police officers that still stood in the threshold of their house was shifting nervously under the penetrating gaze from Patrick. The smg hadn’t waivered from being pointed at him and it was a little unsettling.

“Yeah, there is two males upstairs that need to be fingerprinted and photographed. Be sure to bag and tag anything found on their bodies. We need to know where these fuckers came from and who they are working for.” Pausing and looking back toward the door, “And Doc, my Ma is upstairs in the first door on the right. Please show her the respect she is owed.” Several officers and detectives walked in and went straight up the stairs. An older looking gentleman took up the rear with a large medical bag. Once all the strangers were up the stairs Francis moved into the living room to see his sister. He wasn’t as close to her as he once was. Gerry and him didn’t see eye to eye and it caused his sister to stray from them. He was older and had seen and been through more than her. But now he wasn’t so sure the scorecard was as far apart as it once was. He stopped in front of Niko expecting him to move and allow him access to his sister. 

“Niko it’s okay, let him see me.” Her hand reached out and lightly tapped his hip, letting him know it was okay to move aside. Niko’s eyes narrowed at Francis before stepping to the side. He was feeling dangerous with all these unknown people in the house and he wasn’t sure what he would do if Francis said something to upset her.

Francis wasn’t sure what was up with Niko. Patrick had said he had arrived at the house before him and managed to eliminate the intruders, but that was about all he was told. He narrowed his eyes at the Slavic trying to figure out what his problem was. But when he turned to look down at his sister sitting on the couch, he felt his heart stutter.

Kate’s face was slightly swollen and there was a rather large purple bruise forming on her cheek. His eyes hovered on her face before dropping down to her neck where he could see red imprinted finger marks like someone had tried to strangle her. Traveling further down he realized she was wearing Niko’s typical jacket. The jacket had a few bullet holes in the chest and there was blood on the sleeves. A blanket covered her lower half and he wondered at why she was wearing his jacket. Something had happened to her. Her eyes lost their luster and he could only guess what horror she’d been put through.

“You make them suffer?” Francis muttered toward Niko, his eyes drifting to look at his hired gunman.

“Not enough.” Niko grumbled. Oh how he wished he had.

“They are dead, and I am mostly fine. It’s more than I hoped for and more than I deserved.” Kate whispered looking up at one of her older brothers.

“Oh Katie.” Francis fell to his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her knee. “I begged Ma to install a security system, or at least have a gun in the home. I’m so sorry I didn’t do something to help prevent this.” He bowed his head and dropped it on the edge of the couch. He had failed at protecting his own mother and his innocent sister.

Patrick moved back into the living room and stood next to Niko. He may not get along with his brother, but all of them could feel bad for what had happened. Hell he had been out chasing tail instead of being up in his old room and watching over the house.

Kate placed her hand on Francis’ head and ran her fingers through the mass of dark reddish brown hair. She could understand their pain at feeling like they failed. She had been so unprepared herself that she felt partially responsible for not saving her mother. “Francis, please! None of us knew this would happen. And I feel horrible for not fighting harder.” Tears made their way slowly down her face and felt her own remorse rise at being over powered like she had.

“Uh boss, you should take a look at this, I think we can identify one of the perps from a tattoo.” One of the detectives called down the staircase.

“Yeah be right up.” Francis hollered back. He took one last long look at his sister before pushing up off the floor. “Will you be alright for a few minutes?”

She nodded her head and wiped her eyes with the soft cotton collar of Niko’s jacket sleeve.

“Niko, Patty, let’s go. I might need your help.”

“Hey you know I hate that nickname!” Patrick fumed lightly shoving at his brother. The two brothers kept lightly shoving each other on their way over to the staircase and paused when they realized Niko hadn’t moved.

He was torn, he really didn’t want to leave Kate for a second, but he also needed to know who her attackers were, and if there could be more of them coming after her. Their eyes met and she tore her gaze away wiping furiously at her face to remove her tears. Letting out a quiet sigh he knelt in front of her hating seeing her struggle. “Look Kate, I will only be upstairs. Would it help if I left you a gun? I know you don’t normally go near the things, but it could give you peace of mind while I find out who the attackers are. I won’t be long and if I am more than a few moments I will come back down to check on you, yes?”

Her heart melted at his caring nature and she also hated she made him hesitate to do what he needed to go do. She looked back up into his eyes and only saw concern for her reflected back. She knew she would be fine, the house was full of capable people, but the thought of sitting alone in the living room was a bit daunting. Looking at the rifle in his hands she didn’t think she’d be able to handle it. She really had no idea how to operate it and felt herself shy away from him.

Niko could almost see the wheels turning in her head and reaching behind him he pulled out his pistol. “This is a handgun, it’s probably the easiest one to use. Just point and pull the trigger. I will leave the safety on,” He pointed to the lever switch showing her where it was, “And should you need someone, anyone, just holler out to us. We will all come running.” He turned the gun around, so the handle of his pistol faced her, and held it out for her to take, kneeling down in front of her. Her hand shook as she reached for the gun. The weight was heavier than what she expected but then again, she had never held a gun. Her eyes widened at the weapon and looked it over.

“Both hands and don’t use it if you don’t have to.” Niko brushed her cheek with his thumb and stood up. “Just up the stairs okay?”

“O-okay. Thank you.” She placed the gun across her lap and watched her protector walk toward the staircase. The panic gripped her heart and she forced it to stop. She could do this. It wouldn’t be long, and he would be right back down there next to her. She was a little unnerved at how she had latched on to him. She loved hanging out with him and getting to talk to him was always an interesting conversation. He had a wealth of knowledge and stories, and though some of them made her queasy, she listened intently. She always wondered if anyone had ever offered a shoulder to lean on for him, he was always so quiet at first. But his eyes betrayed him. She could almost see how much his past affected him and how he needed someone to talk to. He may look stoic on the outside, a cold blooded killer to most, but she knew deep down he just wanted a normal life.

Niko paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at Kate. He hated leaving her alone. But he wanted to know who the two men were and if they were connected to someone after him. The gut wrenching thought that they had been sent by Pegorino made it easier for him to decide to just go and kill the old man. If that was the case, he would be burning down his house soon. Taking one last longing look at her, seeing her preoccupied with his pistol, he climbed up the stairs after the McReary brothers.

In Maureen’s room the medical examiner had a body bag opened on the bed next to her body. He was taking notes and making observations on the various wounds. A field agent was taking photos and marking the bullet hole in the wall where it had lodged after exiting the woman’s head. Passing by the room, he followed Patrick and Francis toward the bathroom.

“Whoever killed this dude knew what he was about. The first strike severed one of the carotid arteries, and the rest shredded the vocal cords and collapsed the windpipe. He definitely suffered a painful death. Choked on his own blood and probably drowned. We found gun powder residue on his hands, so he was probably the one to shoot the Mrs. in the bedroom across the hall.” The lead detective was on his knees next to the body and was examining the hands and arms of the dead man. He looked up at Francis, Patrick, and Niko who stood in the doorway. Patrick was casually leaning against the frame as if he could care less, but he had a pale complexion. 

Francis nodded his understanding before moving inside to squat at his detective’s side. The detective rotated the man’s arm to show the inside of his wrist. Niko stood close to Patrick, not really wanting to enter the bathroom again, and tried to see what they were looking at.

“See this? It’s in another language, and there is a circle that encompasses the word. Looks like the circle is a burn mark though. My fellow officers think it’s possibly Eastern European, but we won’t know more till we run it through our database.” He held up the arm so Francis could see it in a better light. Seeing the strange boxy looking letters, he looked up to where Niko stood.

“You might know the language, care to elaborate?” Francis stood up and moved further into the bathroom to allow Niko space to walk in.

Niko felt a strange sense of knowing come over him. Eastern European could be many different types of languages, there were endless gangs and mafia families. But the fact that someone who was tagged had been in the country and had a heavy thick accent could only point to a close few options. Ones he was more worried about than others. Passing Patrick in the doorway, Niko settled himself down next to the body. The detective held the wrist out to him to show him the strange symbols with the burn mark.

“Долг. It means debt. It is Russian. The circle is what gang leaders brand into those who owe them. The ink comes later when they are given an assignment to clear their debt. Then there is another brand that happens upon completion. Letting everyone know they are free. Usually the second brand never comes, it takes a lot to be free.” Niko looked over the brand, it was old, not as red as a fresh one. And the ink was faded like it was done second hand and not at a tattoo parlor. “Was there anything else that would identify him?”

“I took fingerprints and made a dental cast. We will also run those through our database and send it to Interpol. We should have a name within a day or two. I’m flagging it as a high priority. The other guy, the one in the room, he has the other burn mark you were talking about. But there were more of them, not sure what the other words are.” The detective placed the arm back on the ground, “I’ll have the medical examiner have his assistant bag this one up. The cleaning crew won’t be by till the afternoon probably. You guys have some place else to stay?”

“Patrick and I don’t live here anymore, neither does our friend, Kate can stay at my place.” Francis took one last look at the body. The blood had saturated the bathroom rug and was running through the grout in the tile floor outlining the nearest tiles. He didn’t want his sister anywhere near this place.

Niko almost voiced his protest at Kate being at Francis’ place. He was more than willing to take her to one of his many safe houses. But maybe she should be with family. She would find comfort with them and be able to process the death of their mother. And he didn’t really have an extra bed. The burn mark was pulling at his brain, he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite remember where. He didn’t run with many gangs before helping ship people across the Adriatic. So why it was trying to dig at old memories was beyond him.

“Alright. On to the next one.” The detective stood up and gestured they move out of the bathroom. The group filed out and headed down the hall to the bedroom.

“The three pictures we found,” He held them up for Francis, “They were of your mom, sister, and brother. You know when they were taken?”

Francis took the photos and handed them off to Patrick when he looked at them. They didn’t look recent, Kate looked younger, and Patrick was of his mugshot. Their mother also looked younger, about the age of when Patrick and Kate were born. Looking closer at the image of his mother he felt anger well up.

“The photo of Ma is from Pa’s old wallet. He kept that photo with him till the day he died. How someone got copies of it is strange. We buried the wallet with him. Kate’s looks like her senior prom photo, and clearly it’s a mugshot of Patrick.” Francis took the photos back from Patrick and tucked them into his suit jacket pocket. He would be sure to destroy them later.

“The other perp had copies of them too. So whoever sent these guys to get them, must have known your dad.” The detective eyed his boss wearily. He knew he wasn’t the cleanest cop on the police force, but he had promoted him to his current rank and made sure he never got a case too crazy. So he was willing to bend some of the procedures on this case. “I wiped the knife clean of fingerprints.” He whispered to Francis. The nod was all he received from his boss. They would speak later on what to enter into evidence.

“Did you buy dirty bullets?” Francis looked at Niko who still carried his rifle. He needed to know if they were going to need to cover up for him as well.

“They are clean. No major retailers, and cash only. I trust the man who sells to me.” Niko silently thanked the man for wanting to cover for him. He didn’t need more heat on him than he already had. He really had no business being in the residence and he had just come from killing a whole bunch of other Russian mob muscle. He made sure his ammo wouldn’t be traceable, and he would be destroying his shoes later to remove the possible link between the footprints and him. His rifle was the most commonly bought one on the market, and the serial numbers had been long since removed. There would be no tracing him to those murders.

The detective didn’t even react to the conversation. Clearly he had been working for Francis for a while and knew some things were better left alone. Patrick walked alongside the group silently. He was happy that Niko wouldn’t get into trouble, but at the same time it was going to be hard to come up with a cover story. Why would some random gang members break into their mother’s house? He would think on it.

“This one was a little more cut and dry. Two bullet wounds, one to the head and one to the heart. Both hit their targets and I assume he was dead before he slumped over. Judging by the weapons present, and the size of the entry and exit wounds, I would guess that you shot him?” The detective walked into the room and glanced over his shoulder to Niko as he entered.

“Yes.” Niko shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like being back in here and it was making him feel on edge. The handcuffs still laid on the ground where they had fallen off and he could see the other knife from the knife set sitting on the nightstand.

“We found the gun the guy used to kill your mom on the armchair over there in the corner, it had a suppressor. I had one of my partners bag it for evidence. Could lead to some other unsolved murders in the area. The guy on the bed only had a pocketknife. One gun for a break in seems odd to me. Makes me think they knew their targets. Also the chef’s knife on the bedside table has blood on it. We will bag that as well to determine if it was only used on your mom, or possibly your sister as well.” He looked over the group, “We can handle the rest from here unless there is anything we need to know?”

“The torn piece of clothing on the bed will have DNA from either one or both of the men.” Niko spoke softly, uncomfortable with letting the knowledge out to Kate’s brothers.

“DNA? Alright, I’ll bag it. Anything else?” The detective walked over to the bed and pulled out an evidence bag from his pocket. Being sure to only grab the cloth by the bag, he sealed it. Turning it over in his hands he understood what Niko was saying. There was clearly evidence that it had been used, and not just as a gag of sorts.

Francis held his hand out to look at it needing to know what Niko had meant. He had said DNA but hadn’t deliberated further. His detective had flinched when he reached out for the evidence bag. That only made his ire rise higher. What the hell was he hiding? “Hand the bag over Ron, I’ll end up reading the report later, might as well let me know now!”

“Boss. Uh. I-I don’t think you want to see.”

“He’s right Francis. Leave it be.” Patrick had spoken up. He had seen the aftermath before any of the police officers had arrived and he had put one and one together. He didn’t like it, and it made him wish he could go over to the bed and put a few rounds into the dead body, but he would wait to let his anger out later. There would be time to fume.

“Did he rape my little sister?” Francis had yelled the question out and had turned red in the face. He was mad, madder than he had ever been in his whole life. More so than when his father would abuse him, when Gerry would beat him up, or when he had to deal with blackmailing scumbags- no this was worse. This was something he could have helped prevent. His sister was the only good thing to come from his family, and now they were trying to tell him she had endured something unspeakable?

“No Francis, but it was close. I managed to get here in time to stop him from…” Niko trailed off. It didn’t make what happened any less profound. But he had managed to save her from the final act.

Niko was grabbed by the enraged brother and slammed into the opposite wall of the bed, _hard._ The wind left his lungs in a rush and he felt dizzy with the rapid movement. Francis was on him, his hands roughly tangled in his shirt. He could see the absolute rage behind his eyes, could almost feel it in himself. He knew that pain. He felt it constantly since walking into this room for the first time.

“You clearly didn’t get here in time. My sister was _violated_ and you stand here and say you stopped him?! You didn’t stop shit! She will have to live each day with the images of that disgusting man doing God knows what to her. And you have the balls to hover over her and keep her ‘safe’!” Francis lifted Niko away from the wall before slamming him back into it. An audible crack sounded when Niko’s head connected with the wall. “Don’t you dare come near my sister again!”

“Francis stop!” Patrick leapt at his brother and clutched his wrists trying to remove the hands from his friend’s shirt. He may have been mad at the whole situation, but Niko was the last person who needed to be criticized. “Get off of him!”

The detective jumped to attention and wrapped his arms around his boss’ torso. Together the two managed to pull the seething brother off of Niko before he could do more. The detective still holding him back in case he tried to lunge at him again, Patrick standing between the two trying to shield Niko from another attack.

“Did you hesitate? Did you watch him finish before killing him? She doesn’t need someone like you around her. You are just as dangerous and vile. How many people have you killed? You’re no different.” Shoving the detective off of him he straightened his jacket and glared at the Slavic. Turning abruptly, he marched out of the room and down the hall. They could hear his shoes stomp down the stairs before the front door slammed shut.

Niko leaned back into the wall and grabbed his head. That last whack and made him see stars briefly. Pulling his hand away from the back of his head he couldn’t see any fresh spots of blood. Shaking his head, he tried to clear his vision. He’d been hit worse, he would manage.

“Don’t listen to him Nicky. He doesn’t handle anger well. I’m going to try and talk him down. Don’t leave, Kate would be devastated.” Patrick patted his friend’s shoulder and left quickly after his brother.

“Can I get you anything? You took a rather hard hit to the head.” The older gentle voice of the medical examiner called from the door. Niko only shook his head no. He’d take care of it when he got home.

“At least let me make sure you don’t have a concussion. They can get rather nasty.” With a slower pace in his older age, the man walked over to Niko and started examining him.

“Hey doc, if you’re all finished in the other rooms, I’ll let the guys know they can grab whatever they need so they can head out. The sun should be up in a couple of hours.” The detective was impressed with the way Niko had let his boss just go at him. They had all been on the receiving end of his rage induced episodes at the office and knew it was best to just let him be. But if he had been spoken to that way, he wouldn’t have let Francis off so easily.

“Sure Ron, I’ll finish looking at this young man then I’ll finish up in here. The evidence bags are all tagged and ready for processing. I’ll have the mother ready for burial by Sunday.” Older, kind, gray eyes looked over to the detective before shifting back to Niko’s head.

“Thanks, I’ll let the boss know.” He headed out of the room and toward the shouting he could hear outside the house. Yeah it was going to be a minute before his boss cooled off. Thankfully his shift was over at sunrise and he could avoid his wrath for a day.

“Ah young man, a temper is such a troublesome trait in people. I’ve known Francis for a few years. He climbed the ranks rather quickly, almost as quickly as his anger boils over. We’ve learned to pay him no mind. I advise you do the same. What that poor girl endured is no more your fault than it is mine. You managed to get here before the true act was carried out. She will need someone in the coming days. Nightmares are tricky things, and she will probably swing between depression, anger, and, I hope, happiness.” The medical examiner turned Niko’s head side to side and flashed a small flashlight into his eyes looking for pupil dilation, “My advice to you, would be to get some much needed sleep. You look tired young man, and will need your wits about you if you are to help the young miss through the next few days- you will be with her right?”

“I thank you for checking me out, I will do what I can, but Francis does have a point. I am probably the last person she should turn to.” Niko nodded to the medical examiner and headed out the door. He wasn’t surprised by the outburst from Francis. In all honesty he was shocked it hadn’t happened sooner. But his words had cut deep, closer to his own reservations and fears than he’d like to admit.

“Ah another troubled young soul.” He watched the young man disappear around the corner and said a silent prayer that he would be able to find peace, “Perhaps you will learn your lesson in hell.” The medical examiner said toward the slumped over body and began the process of removing him from the house.

Niko paused at the top of the stairs. Should he be the one for Kate to turn to? She had seemed adamant about him being around, but he doubted she could think clearly. He was cold, and still needed to deal with Jimmy. She would be safer with Francis for the time being and he would give her time to sort out her thoughts. She didn’t need to be involved in his mess. Using the railing to steady himself he made his way down the stairs. Patrick and Francis were yelling so loudly he was half expecting the neighbors to start yelling at them to shut up. Making the final step off the stairs he couldn’t help but look over to Kate.

“I heard- I heard most of what was yelled.” She was tracing the barrel of the pistol in her lap, her eyes fixated on the matte black finish of the gun.

Niko hesitated in the entrance to the living room. She hadn’t elaborated on what exactly she heard, and he was still doubting himself. It would be better if he kept his distance. Once she was able to process everything, she would be embarrassed with the way she had clung to him. And he was sure she would resent the fact that he had seen her so vulnerable.

When she didn’t hear Niko reply to her comment she looked up. He was standing at the entry way, leaning against the archway, and was studying the floor. He looked so tired and his shoulders slumped slightly. Francis was wrong in what he said. Yes, she had been through things she didn’t want to do, but she fully believed that if Niko hadn’t have shown up, she would be lying dead in her bed. She shuddered at the thought. She could hear some of the yelling from outside. Patrick was doing his best to make Francis see reason, but she doubted he would cool off anytime soon.

“Niko, please. Sit down with me.” She didn’t like the distance and she wanted to show him she didn’t want him gone. She wanted to be near him, and Francis could shove it.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea. Francis is pretty heated.” He refused to meet her eyes. He knew she would be disappointed, but he wouldn’t compromise his resolve. She needed to be away from him, she needed to be safe. And he had danger follow him around every turn.

“Niko Bellic you march over here and sit down, Francis can go jump off a cliff, he has been in and out of my life for so long that he has no right to tell me who I can be around!” She took a deep breath and silently pleaded with him to at least look at her. He had avoided looking at her since he came down the stairs. He had promised he would come back to check on her, and she fully intended for him to follow up on that.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced up at her. The tone was harsh and had an edge to it. _‘There is the fire I know you have’_

“Please don’t make me beg.”

“Never. Though you do have a gun, you could always persuade me to sit down.” He chuckled when she snorted trying to cover her laugh. He decided he would stand by, close enough for her to touch him, but until he knew how Francis would react, he wouldn’t sit next to her.

“Not that I know how to use it, I would be pretty lousy at intimidation.”

“I doubt that. You have good aim at darts, shooting is slightly different. But the aim is the same. You don’t always have to fire the weapon, the sight of one can get the point across just as well as shooting it.” He walked over and leaned against the fireplace, she was within reach, and he saw the slight confusion flash in her eyes. “I will stand till Francis comes back in. It will be easier to fight him off if he charges me again.”

“He attacked you?” She had gasped and was appalled at her brother’s actions.

“The thud you heard was me slamming into a wall. I will be fine.”

“That’s it! How do I get the safety off? I am going to make sure he knows just how much he is pissing me off!” She held the gun up close to her face and was trying to find the lever he had shown her. She turned the gun over and over looking for it. A deep chuckle reached her ears before one of his hands landed on the gun.

Lightly pulling the pistol away from her hands, he chuckled again, “Good to know I have someone on my side. But his anger comes from concern in this matter. I don’t think he deserves to be shot for caring about his sister.” He tucked the gun back into the waistband of his pants, she had amused him with her defiance and huff about wanting to shoot her brother. But he understood where Francis’ anger was stemming from.

“I’d only hit his leg. He could do with some time off.” She had muttered the comment under her breath not realizing Niko had heard her. He let out another one of his chuckles and she couldn’t stop the smile from spreading. She loved his laugh, and his caught off guard chuckles were the best. That’s when she knew he really was amused.

The front door opened again, and Francis stormed in followed closely by Patrick. They both still looked ready to fight each other, but at least the yelling had stopped. Francis kept his eyes trained on Niko, not liking how close he stood by her, or the way his sister was smiling up at him. Niko hadn’t even bothered to look up at them when they entered and was giving his sister looks.

“Kate, you are coming home with me for the night.” He didn’t bother to look at her and kept his eyes on Niko. He wasn’t about to let her go spend the night with him. No matter what Patrick had said, he knew when a man wanted something, and he knew he was somewhat dating his sister. She had been through too much tonight and he wasn’t about to risk her falling for some contract killer.

Patrick rolled his eyes and slapped a hand to his face. They had just spent the better part of five minutes yelling the neighborhood down about letting Kate go with Niko. Patrick knew in his bones that he would do nothing to hurt his sister, and seeing how she had clung to his friend, he was perfectly fine with the two of them being together- in whatever way that went.

“No Francis, I will not be going to your place. I will be going with Niko. He has saved my life once today, and he would do so again if it came down to that. I trust him, and you should too.” She had left no room for argument, she only hoped Niko would be alright with this arrangement. She hadn’t asked him, and she felt a small kernel of doubt form in her stomach.

She had spoken with such finality that Niko was proud of her. But she really shouldn’t be staying with him, there was maybe one safe house that would be protected, but there was only one bed. And one bathroom. They would be confined to close quarters, alone, and he didn’t trust himself to not blur the lines of what was acceptable and what he felt was right. He had touched her too much already, had been pressed against her, and had placed more kisses to her hand and top of her head than he ever should have. And to have her all alone in the nice apartment in Middle Park, was just asking for trouble. She would want to be close, and he would have to force every ounce of self-restraint he had to keep from holding back. He knew he liked her, but what had just occurred before he killed the asshole upstairs, had put whatever they had between them at a crossroads.

“Kate I don’t think that’s a good idea. You should be with family, someplace that won’t have people who work for the mob coming after you.” Francis was ready to fight her on this.

“And your crooked ways are better? Don’t start, please. I am tired and just want to be away from here. Niko can you go get some clothes for me out of my room? There is a duffle bag in the closet.” She looked at her brother and would not back down. This is what she wanted, and this is what she needed. Francis would just have to deal.

Niko hesitated before moving around the two brothers and heading back upstairs. He could tell they needed to talk, and it would probably be easier if he wasn’t standing in the room. Reaching the landing he saw three body bags lined up ready to be moved down the stairs. The medical examiner was moving a few other evidence bags into the hallway from Kate’s room. The medical assistant and the other two detectives were sorting things into cardboard boxes that were labeled by the name of the room they had been removed from. He nodded to them before heading back into Kate’s bedroom.

The room looked weird without the body on the bed and the handcuffs on the ground. He had never been to a crime scene as it was worked, and it felt wrong to be standing in her room. Walking over to the closet, he opened the door and saw the blue duffle bag on the floor. He quickly picked it up and opened it. He paused. What clothes would she want? How much should he grab?

“It’s best to take a few loose fitting clothes, something to allow any injuries to breathe and not be rubbed. And anything that would offer her comfort.”

Niko almost jumped out of his skin when the medical examiner had spoken from the doorway. “Uh thanks, how much should I take?”

“A day or two’s worth, the cleaning crew should be here around 0900. They will finish combing the place and removing anything left over. The place will be ready to return to should she wish to.”

“Thank you.” Nodding to the elderly man he turned back to the closet. Everything seemed to be sorted by type of weather. Reaching for a few large and loose looking sweaters he moved some clothing out of the way to look at them better. _‘He had said loose, so maybe something that would cover, but not irritate…’_

“Also, I will leave you my card and number. I can’t tell what injuries the young miss has sustained. But she should see a doctor. I’ve treated her and her mother before since Francis tends to only trust a handful of people. And with the way the bedding looked and the knife on the bedside table had blood, I can only assume it’s not good.” The medical examiner walked into the room to stand next to Niko. “Be sure to call me if anything needs further first aid.”

Niko glanced at the business card the older man had extended out to him, “Thank you. I will be sure she gets checked out. I would ask you to do it tonight, but I’m unsure how she will react.” Taking the business card from him, he pocketed it and went to stuffing a green sweater into the duffle bag.

“She will need time, and if anything was seriously bothering her, I’m sure she would’ve asked for help by now.” Smiling gently at the young man who was carefully picking out clothes, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at the lengths he was taking to make sure she would be taken care of. “I will ask on my way out.” Slowly he made his way toward the bedroom door needing to lay eyes on Kate before heading back to the Police HQ Morgue. “And Niko?” He paused at the threshold and turned back in time to see the man pause in putting a stuffed animal in the bag, “Thank you.”

Niko nodded to the medical examiner and continued to search her room for things she might need for the night.

Back downstairs Kate and Francis continued to stare at one another. The minutes ticked by on the small grandfather clock above the fireplace. _‘How long are they just going to stare at each other before the fireworks start?’_ Patrick was getting uncomfortable with the glaring and decided it was time to break the tension. “Kate’s right, she needs to feel safe, and I can vouch for Niko. You may not think very highly of him, but I do. He wouldn’t dare hurt sis.”

“I don’t care who he is! He has plenty of blood on his hands; some I’m sure that came from whatever stupid ideas you had Patrick! He is a man, who has urges, and am I mistaken in that the two of them are dating?” He sent a glare over his shoulder at his younger brother.

“Hey!” Patrick yelled at his brother, not liking the fact that he left his own history with Niko out of the conversation.

“It’s not dating, we just hung out a few times. We are friends.” Even as Kate said the words, she felt how wrong it was. She was fooling herself if she didn’t think of them as dates. He always picked her up, paid for their food and drinks, and was a gentleman. He never complained and looked happy to be hanging out with her. _‘Okay, maybe they were dates. But now…’_

“Oh please you expect me to believe that? If you knew half of what he did on the side, you’d be begging one of us to watch over you. He’s bad for you and will hurt you!”

The slap echoed in the room. She didn’t even realize she had moved off the couch till her hand connected with the face of her brother. It stung, and it had _hurt_. Tears burned behind her eyes. “Don’t you lecture me on what he does, he’s told me plenty, and I know he has done shady things for _you_ and Patrick. I don’t ask for details, don’t want them, but you have no right to question Niko or me, or what we do together. He has been nothing but kind to me, which is more than what you can say!” She let the tears fall, she was angry, upset, and her body was starting to hurt again. She had moved too quickly off the couch and her legs shook at holding her weight up.

Patrick’s mouth dropped open. He had never seen his sister react in violence, and he swore he had heard his mom’s voice come out of her. “Damn sis!” He whistled low at how Francis was still turned to the side unmoving.

Francis was in shock. His little sister had just slapped him and had channeled their mother’s voice. He hadn’t heard that condescending tone in years and it still made him second guess things. Gently placing his hand over his face where he had been slapped, he turned back to his sister. The tears rained down her face and he saw how she shook.

“You love him don’t you.” It wasn’t really a question, more of a statement, but he had to know. If he was going to trust his gun for hire with his sister, he needed to know.

“It is none of your business.” She started to feel dizzy and the room was slowly spinning. Her vision was starting to darken, and she needed to sit down soon. _‘Where is Niko?’_

He could see the rapidly receding blush leave her face and her eyes had unfocused. “Katie?”

The voice seemed far off, and her body felt numb. She blinked a few times trying to refocus on her brother, but it was like he was swaying. Her brain seemed to shut off and she looked toward the staircase trying to see if Niko had returned before her world went black. She thought she saw his concerned face getting closer, but he was still upstairs, right? The last thing she felt was her legs giving out.

Niko was next to him before he could blink and was catching his sister in his arms. Her head rolled into the crook of his neck and he adjusted her in his arms to be able to pick her up. Francis seemed to be in a daze. He hadn’t heard him approaching and was more concerned with the paling of his sister. _‘How did he get here so quick?’_

Lifting her back into his arms he carried her over to the couch and laid her down, kneeling with the action. He brushed his fingers along her forehead and moved a few bangs away from her face. She was pale and breathing shallowly. Shoving the blanket under her head to prop it up, he began to lightly tap the side of her face. He knew it would agitate the bruise, but he needed her to wake up. Francis knelt next to him and reached for her hand, grasping it tightly.

“Kate wake up, come on, wake up.” Niko continued to tap at her face and spoke to her.

Patrick had moved over and knelt on Niko’s other side. He had been startled when the duffle bag had been dropped at his side. Niko hadn’t even looked at him and made his way over to Francis and his sister, and he had caught her as she fainted. He hadn’t even known she was about to faint. He was still surprised that his sister had slapped Francis.

Kate let out a low groan and reached for her head. There was a dull throbbing behind her eyes, and she felt weak. She felt someone’s hand in hers and she gave it a squeeze. Another hand was brushing the hair from her face and she could almost tell it was Niko. His fingers weren’t soft, they were rough and had an edge to them. It didn’t feel bad against her skin, but she liked the way he used his hands. And she knew those hands would keep her safe.

“Kate wake up, you fainted.” Oh how she could get used to hearing his voice before opening her eyes every day. The accent was always attractive to her, and whenever he spoke to her, his voice would take on a softer vibe. As if he only spoke to her that way. Cracking her eyes open she was greeted by the worried dark ones of Niko. Glancing around she saw both Patrick and Francis next to him looking equally concerned.

“That was one hell of a slap sis!” Patrick practically beamed at her, his excitement at seeing her take their brother down a peg was just too cool!

A small smile twitched at her lips before looking over to Francis, “Sorry, but you deserved it. Now, do you think we can start again? I would like to go to Niko’s place to rest, we can discuss what happens later afterwards. I am tired, I hurt, and I just need some quiet.”

Francis nodded and squeezed her hand back. “I will stay here to make sure everything is wrapped up and then I’ll head into the office.” He stood up and backed away from the couch. He knew when to give in to his sister, and the way Niko had been so gentle with her showed how much he cared. He would allow him to see to her for the day, but only for the day. “Niko I’ll call you later with what I find out.” And with that he headed back upstairs to sign off on the transport of the bodies, giving a nod to the medical examiner as they passed each other on the stairs.

“You might’ve knocked some sense into him sis!” Patrick couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. She had been amazing right up until she fainted.

Niko chuckled and leaned back on his heels. He had missed the slap but had heard it from the stairs and he had hurried his pace down them. He had heard Francis’ question and felt his heart stop waiting for her answer. But her answer hadn’t given him anything to go on. It was the safe answer he assumed. One that would keep floating around in his mind for the rest of the day.

“Maybe, he has a hard head.” Kate smiled at her words and tried to sit up on the couch. The room had quit spinning, but she felt lightheaded. “Can you hand me the water? I thought I saw you bring a bottle in here.”

Patrick got up before Niko could and grabbed the bottle. He twisted the top off and handed it to this sister, watching her take a few sips before handing her the lid. “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to stay here and follow Ma back to the morgue. I’d feel better knowing she got there safely. I’ll also take over planning the funeral. You have enough on your plate sis, but I will keep you informed?”

“Please.” Kate took another sip of water before closing the bottle. She hadn’t been told their mom was dead, but she figured she was. The way everyone was talking it was easy to pick up what wasn’t being said to her.

“Take care of my sis okay Niko? If you need anything just call.” Patrick leaned over his sister and placed a kiss to her hair. He would be worried about her but knew she would be okay in his friend’s care. He placed his hand on Niko’s shoulder in silent support before moving toward the staircase. He needed to talk to Francis and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid to jeopardize his sister’s relationship with his friend.

“Sorry for the interruption, but do you require any medical assistance?” The kind older man had slowly made his way into the room, having witnessed the end of the discussion between the McReary family.

Kate’s face lit up at the familiar voice, “Hey Doc. We really do need to meet up when someone isn’t dead or injured…” her voice trailed off as the memory of the last time she saw him was- Derrick’s identification after his death.

“Ah yes my dear, but death does tend to be in the job description.” He chuckled lightly and sat down next to Kate, “Are you injured?” He glanced over her face and could see the bruise forming on her cheek, the red finger length marks on her neck, and the way she instinctively pulled her hands into the jacket made it seem she was hiding something. She had been handled harshly by the looks of it.

“I will manage Doc.” She didn’t dare look at him or Niko. The last thing she wanted to do was undress in front of anyone.

Niko picked up on some of the subtle clues, she had almost folded in on herself, trying desperately to shy away from the doctor, without being obvious. He knew something wasn’t right but wasn’t going to force her decision. “I have an expansive first aid kit at my place, if she needs anything more advanced, I will call.” Niko kept his eyes trained on Kate, watching for any negative reaction. Afterall she did adamantly state she wanted to be with him for the night.

She exhaled quickly with his words, torn between having the doctor tend to her chest and various other cuts, and having to do it herself in the comfort of Niko’s place. She looked up to see Niko staring at her, almost like he was gauging her answer, and how to navigate the conversation to whatever she wanted it to go. A small smile tugged at her lips; he really was full of surprises this morning.

“I will be okay Doc, I’m just really wanting to shower-”

“A rape kit will need to be done before a shower.”

The world came to a screeching halt. Sure he had heard Francis use the term upstairs, had been debating what had happened to her, and trying not to dwell on how the man’s hands had been on her flesh, or how his pants had been undone. But to hear it from a medical standpoint, even a professional tone, was jarring. His eyes widened slightly, and he fought himself to remain passive and not flinch at the harshness of reality. _Rape kit_. It echoed around in his mind. Had she been so violated? Had he been too late?

A new flood of tears obscured her vision briefly before she angrily swiped at her eyes. _NO_ , she wanted to yell. She had been through enough for one night, and the feel of their hands on her made her stomach churn violently and her body twitch at the vile feeling. Her skin felt on fire all of a sudden and without even thinking she reached out and grabbed Niko’s hand, needing something to anchor her in her distress. 

Sucking in a shaking breath, “No. I will not be needing one. _I wasn’t raped_.” Her voice straining on the last words. Clenching her eyes shut she turned away from the doctor and leaned into Niko’s shoulder where he was still kneeled by her side. She wasn’t ready to process it all- wasn’t ready to face the rawness of it.

Niko squeezed her hand, surprised by how she just instinctively moved around him and touched him so openly. He closed his eyes when she leaned into him, her words helping quiet the rage a little inside of him. He was barely holding on with the notion that he had at least gotten there in time to stop the absolute worst from happening, and when the doctor had brought up the term, it put everything he was thinking into jeopardy. Her barely audible words had brought relief to him briefly. She was spared slightly. And for that he was thankful.

“I’m sorry to upset you, it’s not just for the final act of, it’s also to make sure he-they- didn’t have any diseases. I can have you stop by sometime later to give a blood sample. I am so sorry for what happened. I’ve known your family for a long time. It pains me greatly dear. I’m only a phone call away. Not all injuries are physical.” He reached out and lightly squeezed her shoulder, watching as a few tears seeped through her eyelashes, “Take care of her Niko, you have my number should anything develop.” And with one final look between the pair, the doctor stood slowly and made his way out the front door to prepare his vehicle for the bodies.

Niko watched him leave, he felt so incredibly drained in that moment. Kate was quiet and was working to control her breathing, every now and then he could feel her cheek rub against his shoulder. With the departure of the doctor, the room seemed quieter than normal. He could barely hear her brother’s upstairs talking. They must have shut the door to the room they were in. Then the realization dawned on him. He was going to have to take her to his safe house. He felt uneasy about it, the second-guessing crawling back into his mind.

Kate focused on her breathing. She wasn’t ready to voice what had happened and the intense fear of having to relay details to the doctor in front of Niko gripped her heart fiercely. She wanted him to continue to look at her the way he used to. His intense gaze made her knees weak, her heart stutter, and this slow burning sensation to flood her stomach. He would look at her with an unapologetic want. She knew the look, had seen it several times when they played pool. She would tease him by leaning over the table more than needed. It was thrilling to see how his eyes would darken, now she feared that look would never be cast her way from him.

The ache of never seeing him give her that smoldering smirk, the one that said ‘I know what you are doing’, to never have him speak openly to her again, the pain of not having normalcy with him whipped across her body. She lurched away from him and clutched the jacket to her. She studied his startled reaction. He opened his mouth a couple of times to say something but looked to be contemplating it.

“ _Niko_?” Her voice sounded rough, low, as if it was pained. She cleared her throat and felt a flush come across her face. _‘How embarrassing’_ “I think I’d like to leave now.”

“Do you need me to carry you to the car?” Niko was quiet, he was still on the fence about bringing her to one of his places. But he would do what she wanted, even if it killed him.

“Yeah, I’m not very steady on my feet.” She looked over to him and could see hesitation on his face, “It is okay if I stay with you right?” Fear gripped her heart at possibly not being able to stay with him.

“Of course.” Niko stood up and walked over to the duffle bag. Shifting the rifle on his back he pulled the long strap of the bag over his shoulder. Making sure the bag wouldn’t rub too much on the gun he walked back over to Kate. She had sat up fully on the couch and had drawn her knees up to her chest. His jacket bunched up around her waist and he made sure to keep his eyes on her face. Leaning down he hooked his arm under her legs and placed his other one around her back. She had been picked up by him so many times since he came into her bedroom, she knew what to do. Looping her arms around his neck she held on as he lifted her with little effort. She tucked her head into her new favorite spot against his neck and let out a sigh of relief.

Being careful to keep his movements to a minimum, Niko headed for the open front door. Stepping outside caused a chill to descend his spine. He had come in wearing his jacket and forgot how cool it was outside in the predawn morning. Looking down at the woman in his arms he saw the same shiver rock her body. “I will turn the heat on in the car. The seats are heated as well.” He felt her nod against his neck and felt a soft smile tug at his lips.

Noticing for the first time since arriving at the house he saw all the lights had turned on down the street. His comet was parked next door, Patrick’s red one was diagonally pulled up on the sidewalk, and the police cruisers and medical van were parked next to them. The street was still fairly empty, but at least the streetlights had turned back on.

Taking the few steps down the staircase to the sidewalk caused Kate to hiss in pain. He would need to check her out once he got home or force her to go to the doctor’s. He needed to make sure she wasn’t hiding any major injuries from him. He would never forgive himself if she was severely hurt and he had done nothing about it.

The car wasn’t too far away, and he made the distance quickly. Stopping by the passenger’s side door he shifted Kate in his arms. “I will need to set you on your feet. The car sits low to the ground. You think you will be able to get in okay?”

“Yeah I’ll be alright, you can set me down.” She had moved out from under his chin and looked up into his eyes, she gave him a small smile letting him know it would be okay.

Leaning over slightly to allow her legs to slide off his arm, he helped brace her when she found her footing. Opening the door for her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her toward the seat. He hadn’t even thought about what he was doing, it was just a natural reaction.

She smiled at the touch and lowered herself into the car. The seats we plush and the leather was cool against her legs. She heard the trunk open and shut and saw his shadow as he crossed to the driver’s side. Niko had hurried to put the bag and rifle in the trunk. He knew the car would be cold and he didn’t want her to start shivering. Plopping down in the car he turned the keys in the ignition. It roared to life and the heater kicked on. Reaching behind him he removed his pistol and placed it in his lap. Glancing over at her, he turned toward her and pulled the seat belt across her body, clicking it into place. Seeing she was situated he put the car in gear and left for his apartment in Middle Park.

The radio was off, and she was glad for the silence. The car hummed beneath her and she found herself looking around at the interior of the vehicle. The seats were black, as was pretty much everything else, the touch screen display was dim, and it showed it was turned off. Turning in her seat she curled up facing Niko. The heated seats felt nice on her legs.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye before looking back at the road. He was determined to get home quickly and without incident. He hadn’t spotted anyone following, but he would take the long way if she could hold out, to insure no one was following. Not many knew of his place in Middle Park. Roman had purchased it once he received the insurance money from his burned down cab business. And if Niko was honest, he loved the place. It was probably the nicest place he had ever lived. And he was slightly excited to show it off.

He shifted the gear and sped up once he reached the Algonquin Bridge. It was the quickest way to the part of the city he needed. The lights of the city twinkled in the distance and caused the dreary looking clouds to not look as sinister. The rain had held off and he hoped it would until he could get her inside. Which would pose as a possible problem. There was a doorman, a front desk attendant, and there were usually a few people in the lobby of the building. It would be extremely out of place for him to carry in an injured looking woman wearing only his jacket, as well as the sight he must be presenting- in bloody clothing.

Kate reached out and placed her hand on top of Niko’s on the gearshift. She watched as his fingers spread to allow hers to fit into the spaces between, and his thumb rose to caress the side of her index finger. It was such a small gesture, but to her it was everything. She would be okay in time, and she prayed it wouldn’t be forever. Niko deserved someone who could be with him. Not just to hang out, but to _be_ with him. Someone who would love him physically and emotionally. Someone who wasn’t damaged goods.

When she would think of love making, she always imagined it would be Niko. Why it was always him that showed up in her dreams, and not some movie character she loved, puzzled her. She was inexperienced, she hadn’t even watched porn, but what romance novels she read in her alone time in her room, gave her a pretty good idea of how it happened, and what would constitute as good. But the way the men had touched her tonight caused her to pause. Would she ever be able to love Niko and not think of what had happened?

Her hand on his warmed his insides. He continued to rub at her index finger, her thumb would brush against his before lying flat on top of his before repeating the action. Her touch was light and allowed him to shift gears when needed, and he secretly loved being able to do this. It was something a boyfriend and girlfriend would do going on dates. She had never initiated touch before, but now it was all she seemed to want to do. Touch.

“I will need you to be able to walk in the building, there will be too many questions if I carry you in. There is a doorman and a front desk receptionist. They know me, and which unit I live in, but they have never seen me bring someone with me.” He glanced at her at the stop light, brushing his thumb against her finger again.

“I understand, is it a long walk? How many flights of stairs?” She really didn’t want to think about walking up stairs.

“There is an elevator lift in the lobby, there will be no stairs.” He had a parking spot out front that would allow the shortest walk for her. And he planned on not stopping to talk to anyone as he led her to the elevator.

“Oh thank God. I was getting worried about how many steps there could be.”

“We are almost there; do you want anything to eat? I can stop and get you something? Or you can snack on something in the apartment. I don’t have much.”

“I will see what you have. I really would like to take a shower.”

“Okay.”

They both fell into silence as he pulled up to the seven story building. It was in a nice neighborhood and the doorman was friendly. A bit too friendly at times, and it made him suspicious of all the questions he would ask. But he didn’t see him standing outside. The street was lined with cars and there wasn’t a soul walking down the sidewalk. _‘Good, should be easy to get her inside without being spotted.’_

“I’ll get the door for you.” Niko turned the car off, slid the pistol back to its normal resting place, opened his door, and walked to the trunk. Opening it he grabbed the rifle and flung the strap around his neck, shifting it quickly to his back. The duffle bag came next and hid the gun from view for the most part. Next, he grabbed the shotgun and held it against his leg. He hoped the front desk person couldn’t tell, or didn’t care, about all the visible guns. Slamming the lid shut on the trunk he walked quickly to the passenger door and opened it.

Kate’s hand extended out for him to grab. Taking her hand in his larger one, he helped her step up out of the car. As soon as she got out of the vehicle a bright flash of lightening, followed by rolling thunder, clapped overhead. The rain began to pour from the sky and started to drench them. Kate shook at the coldness and pressed herself to his side. His arm wrapped around her waist and guided her toward the front door. He kept the shotgun glued to his side, as hidden as he could get it.

Reaching the door, he pulled it open and directed her inside. The lobby was warm and dimly lit. The front desk was empty, and the TV screen was on a news channel muted. Rubbing his shoes on the welcome mat he tried to dry them before stepping onto the marble floor. Kate clung to his side and shivered constantly. He needed to get her inside his apartment so she could get out of his slightly wet jacket. Together they walked over to the elevator and waited for it to open.

The quiet ding sounded, and the doors opened. He guided her inside and pressed the 7th floor button. The doors silently closed and quiet classical music started to play as the elevator lifted to their floor. Her hands we balled in his shirt around his waist. One of her hands sat on his hip bone and every time she would clench her fingers, he would feel them dig slightly into his skin. He fought hard to keep his body from reacting.

She had attached herself to his side. She was in an unknown place and wanted to stay out of view of anyone who might see her. She had wrapped her arms around his waist and turned her face into his shoulder. She couldn’t stop the shaking her body was producing and she was starting to panic. The space was small, and she felt trapped. Her heart tripped and began to race at how close the walls were.

Niko looked down at her when she shuddered harder than she had been. He could see the panic starting to form on her face and knew he needed to act quickly. Dropping the shotgun to the elevator floor, he turned her into him, and cupped her cheeks, lifting her face to look into his. Her hands dragged against his wet shirt when she moved, and she buried them into the wet fabric above the pistol in his waistband. He forced the shiver down when it wanted to rise up with the way she touched him. She didn’t know what she was doing, and he wouldn’t give her the wrong impression.

“Look at me Katie, nothing is going to happen to you while I am here. This is my place, and I have made sure to bring you to the safest place I can think of.” He spoke softly to not alarm her, “I promise you, you are safe here.”

Her hands gripped his shirt harder and her eyes shut tightly. His words calming the chaos that wanted to consume her mind. A few tears slipped out and trailed down her face.

“Please don’t cry, you’re tears break me.”

“Oh Niko.” She buried herself into his chest and held on for everything she had. She didn’t care that his shirt was soaked, she didn’t care that she could feel every toned muscle that lay beneath her hands, she didn’t care that she stood basically naked in his jacket pressed against him. All she cared about was the strong arms that surrounded her and kept the bad images from resurfacing in her mind. She knew then, she was falling for him. Why she hadn’t fallen sooner was beyond her comprehension. But here in this tiny elevator she knew she would need him, in whatever way he would give himself to her. She would take it all.

“Thank you. Thank you for being here, for letting me invade your private living space, for saving me from certain death, I owe you. I owe you so much.” Her words were muffled against his chest and it took him a minute to decipher it all.

“You owe me nothing. Do not say such things Лепа ( _Lepa)_.” He had spoken in his native tongue, hoping it would cause her to smile like it used to do when they would hang out. The word fit her, beautiful. Even if she didn’t say she was.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to the high end loft. She turned in his arms to look at his place. It was refined and spacious, the large windows showed the rain coming down in buckets, and the couch looked inviting. Stepping out of his arms she walked into the space. She was fascinated by everything she saw. It was so nice, and so not something she expected him to live in.

Niko bent down and picked up the shotgun, putting his lift key into the elevator he hit the ‘do not disturb’ button, and removed the key. Stepping out into his apartment he watched her turn in a slow circle taking everything in. The doors shut behind him and he could hear the lift descending to the main floor. The button usually kept the lift from coming back up to his floor, unless he called for it from inside the apartment.

Walking into the kitchen he placed the shotgun down on the counter. Taking the duffle bag off, he placed it on one of the bar stools, and removed his rifle. It joined the shotgun on the counter. He placed his hand on the barrel and patted it. He had been thankful to have it with him; it had saved Kate’s life. Turning to look over his shoulder at her, he found her walking toward him.

“I will take a quick shower and change, will you be okay? I will be fast.” He placed his hand on her shoulder when she was close enough. He would pass on the shower if she wanted him too, even though his body protested the thought.

“Mmm yeah, if it’s okay, I will go through your kitchen. Then I will need to shower.” She was looking at all the cabinets and kitchen drawers, he could almost see the mischief sparkling in her eyes.

“Like I said there isn’t much. I won’t be long.” Niko released her shoulder, picked up his guns, and headed for the partition wall that separated the living space from the bedroom. Dropping the rifle and shotgun to the bed, he couldn’t believe how much he had used both in the last few hours. He removed his pistol and tucked it beneath his pillow. He would reload it properly after his shower. Bending down he reached under his bed for the gun cases he had. Pulling them out he placed them on the bed next to their respective weapons. Clicking the latches open he went to work unloading and placing them in the foam slots, securing them in place before closing the lid. He quickly moved them back under the bed for safe storing.

Tugging his shirt over his head he dropped it into the laundry basket next to his dresser. Opening up a top drawer he removed a pair of boxers, and then grabbed a white undershirt tank top. Closing the drawer, he pulled open another one and grabbed a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. He almost never wore pajamas, simply passing out fully dressed on the bed, but tonight he would have company and he didn’t want to be weird in front of her. 

Walking over to the bathroom door he looked back down the makeshift hallway and saw her eating a peach at the bar in the kitchen and pushing the buttons on the remote for the TV. She would be occupied for the moment, and he could shower quickly. Opening the door, he closed it behind him.

Her eyes had widened at the sight of him shirtless. His back was full of defined muscles and she could see a large purple bruise forming on one of his shoulder blades. Turning her attention back to the TV she flipped through the channels trying to find a movie to keep her mind busy till it was her turn.

Niko flipped the lights on and looked at his reflection. He had a few streaks of blood on his face, likely running down when the rain started to fall on him, and his chest had two bruises forming from where he had taken the hits to his bulletproof vest. He would remove it from the trunk before getting rid of the car later. Brucie would more than likely love to get his hands on a good conditioned comet.

He looked tired, and he was looking forward to falling asleep. Walking over to the shower he turned the nob to hot. He needed the heat of the water to remove some of the tension he felt in his body. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his socks off. Unbuttoning his pants, he let them fall down his legs and pool around his feet, and then dropped his boxers to the ground. Kicking them toward the counter he stepped into the hot spray of water and felt the relieved sigh escape him.

_‘What a night. First Dimitri, then Kate. I will need to take care of Jimmy soon. He will definitely come after me.’_ Niko placed his fists against the shower wall and leaned his forehead on them. The water was soothing the aches he felt all over. _‘And I will need to tell Kate that I can’t be with her till I know it is safe to be together.’_ He frowned at this thought. He didn’t want to be away from her. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her, and even in sleep he wanted her tucked against his body. He couldn’t live with her not near him. Hell he wanted her near him now. _‘Who am I kidding, I would be more worried if I couldn’t keep eyes on her.’_ But what would she think once his past was known? Would she turn away from him in disgust?

Grabbing the shampoo off the stone bench he began to scrub his hair clean. Washing away the dirt and blood from it. Rinsing he reached back and grabbed the soap and started to scrub his body. He had worked up a sweat going through the ship and killing everyone. But it had been necessary. He wanted no one left who might retaliate.

Letting the water wash away the suds, dirt, blood, and filth, he turned the shower off. Grabbing the towel off the rack just outside the glass door, he made quick work drying off. He dropped the towel on his pants and started dressing in his pajamas. Taking another look at himself he was pleased to see all the blood gone. Brushing his teeth quickly, as to not keep Kate from her shower, he finished up his evening routine. Picking up the dirty clothes and towel, he checked to make sure she would have a few clean towels to use. Satisfied the bathroom was acceptable to a female’s standards he opened the door.

Kate stood on the other side holding her duffle bag. She jumped when the door opened, not expecting it to open so fast. Niko stood in the doorway of the bathroom, holding his clothes from earlier and a fluffy white towel in one arm, and the bathroom door open with the other. She felt the heat rise in her face at his lack of clothes. She was used to seeing him in his jacket, and even seeing him in a t-shirt was odd, but this? _This_ was way better she decided. She could see how defined his arms were, and what she could see of his chest had her swallowing thickly.

“Bathroom is all yours, there are clean towels on the rack. Knobs are labeled in the shower.” Niko spoke as normally as he could, he could tell she was staring at him, and the blush on her face was cute.

“W-what?”

“The bathroom, it’s your turn.” He smiled at seeing her turn another shade of red before she ducked into the bathroom under his arm.

“Hang on just a second.” He heard the zipper to his jacket and turned to look over his shoulder of the arm that held the door open. She was facing away from him and was pulling the jacket off of her. He quickly turned away not wanting to have her catch him looking. He felt the leather brush the underside of his arm and he released the door to grab it. “I won’t take long in the shower.”

“Take your time, the water won’t go cold.” He said over his shoulder before letting the door close fully behind him. He walked over to the laundry basket and dropped the towel into the towel basket and started to empty the pockets of his pants. He placed his cell phone on the top of the dresser, he would need to charge it soon. The USB caught his attention and he figured he might as well get it to Francis, but not before taking a look himself.

Dropping the pants into the dirty clothesbasket with his damp shirt, he tossed the jacket onto the top of the dresser, and then he turned toward the nightstand. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out a lock box. Removing the key from the underside of the drawer he unlocked the box. He removed and replaced several of the pill bottles before landing on the one he wanted. Opening the container, he let three pain pills tumble into his hand. He was going to need it to help him sleep. He could feel a slight pull in his shoulder, and his back was starting to hurt. Tucking the pills into his pajama pants pocket he looked at the USB drive. It was smaller than a normal one and looked like it had been dropped a couple of times. Figuring he could take a look before Kate got out of the bathroom, he headed toward the living room where the laptop was.

Kate heard the door click shut behind her. The bathroom was pleasantly warm, and she sighed at the feel of it. Turning to the large mirror she got the first real look at herself since going to bed that night. Her hair was a mess and she quickly removed the hair tie letting the mass fall to just below her shoulders. Her face was puffy from being slapped so many times and a bruise was forming on her right cheek where the man had backhanded her for biting him. Her neck looked like a rope had been tied around it and had rubbed her skin raw. Her hand lifted to trace a red line where he had grabbed her neck to hold her still. That’s when she noticed the large welts on her wrist that the handcuffs had caused. Trailing her hand down her neck she removed the torn shirt off her shoulders. A thin cut traced her collarbone, it wasn’t deep, as the person had only lightly drawn the knife across her. Large blood blisters graced her chest and one side of the base of her neck where he had sucked on her skin too hard. She saw the large bite mark on the swell of her breast, he had broken the skin, and it was what hurt every time her shirt and Niko’s jacket rubbed on it. It hadn’t fully sealed shut and was lightly bleeding. The red flesh burned under her fingers when she went to touch it. Another thin cut ran between her breasts and stopped just shy of her navel. He had told her he would gut her if she didn’t open her mouth. She spotted another nick on her ribcage from where the knife had caught her when he cut a piece of her shirt off to shove in her mouth, and another smaller one was close to where her shorts rested against her.

She hadn’t realized she had started crying till she looked back up to her face. _‘How ugly must I have looked to Niko and my brothers?’_ She wiped her tears away angrily before turning away from her reflection. Opening the shower door, she turned the hot water on, she would scrub every inch of herself to be rid of the way those men’s hands had felt on her body. Letting out a soft sob she bent down to grab her duffle bag.

Placing it on the counter she opened it and saw several things. She picked out her toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and her favorite body wash. She was surprised to see them in there and she felt herself let loose another sob at how thoughtful he was in thinking about her needs. She pulled out pair of underwear, these ones like boy shorts, and she was glad he hadn’t found any of her thongs. Placing them on the counter she pulled out her large cable knit dark green sweater. It was one of her favorites and it was large on her small frame and had a loose scoop neck opening. She usually slept in it when it got cold outside and the snow started to fall. How he knew what to grab made her smile, and she gave a little watery laugh. He was too good to her.

Placing the sweater on the counter she noticed a stuffed animal in the bottom of the bag. And her heart broke at the kind gesture. He had grabbed her stuffed orange and white cat. She had slept with it every night for as long as she could remember. She wasn’t sure where it ended up in all the chaos but was relieved to see it in the bag. Lifting it up she kissed the pink button nose and tucked it back into the safety of the bag. Seeing several other long sleeve loose shirts, a couple of stretchy leggings, a few bras and other pairs of underwear, and a pair of her faux sheep fur lined boots, she was pleased with what he grabbed.

Closing the bag and placing it back on the floor she grabbed the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Opening the glass shower door, she placed the items on the stone bench. The hot water was causing the room to steam up and it felt good to her. Stepping out of her shorts and into the shower she allowed the hot water to cascade over her body. The water was almost scalding, but she didn’t mind, it felt amazing. Letting her hair get soaked she reached for the shampoo and poured a generous amount of the lavender scented cream into her hands. She began to massage it into her scalp and let the aroma flood her senses. Making a good lather of it she turned into the water and let it rinse her hair out. Grabbing the conditioner, she repeated the process and left the conditioner in. Looking around the shower she saw the towel rack just outside the door and spotted a washcloth on the top. Opening the door, she grabbed the soft white washcloth. Squeezing a large dollop of the vanilla smelling body wash onto the cloth, she began to wash her body. The soap stung the open wounds and caused her to gasp at the pain.

Quickly rinsing and washing out the conditioner from her hair she let another sigh out. She was glad she had gone to get a wax earlier that day. It was a closely held secret, but her leg hair bothered her. And the lady who did the waxing was a fun person to talk to. She was rather loose in her morals and told Kate of all the sexual exploits she had. It amazed her what this woman knew and had been asking her questions for years every time she went for a wax. The lady had even convinced her to start waxing other parts of her and she had made a friend in the waxing lady. Her mother was never one to talk about such things and it’s where she got her conservative views from, but sometimes her curiosity got the better of her. She had been asking her waxing lady questions about dating men, and what to look for if a guy, you know, _wanted_ her. The question had made the lady laugh uncontrollably, until she realized Kate had no clue. The lady had a wealth of understanding and spent the rest of the waxing session explaining ways men dropped hints. Some rather blunt, others harder to decipher.

Her legs were bare for Niko since he rescued her, and she would have been more embarrassed having been caught in-between waxes. But it also meant the men had something else to taunt her with. He had made rather lewd comments about her bare lips, and she shuddered when his voice echoed in her ears. Getting back under the fall of the hot water she let her shoulders slump. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get comfortable with someone touching her more private areas. Kind, soft, dark chocolate eyes flashed across her vision and she gulped. Yeah, maybe one day she would be able to bring herself to let Niko lay his hands on her.

Turning the water off she grabbed the other two soft towels and brought them into the shower. She wrapped one around her shoulders and the other around her waist. Pulling her hair out from under the towel she bent over and wrapped her hair up in the towel to dry. Removing the towel from her waist she started to dry off her body. The aches were starting to settle back into her muscles, and she hoped Niko had something for pain. Wrapping the towel around her chest she made sure to not cover the bite mark. She would need to bandage it. Searching the cabinets, she didn’t see a first aid kit or any bandages. She would have to ask him where he kept them. Having an internal debate, she grabbed her underwear and slid them on under the towel. It mostly covered her, and did more than his jacket did, so it should be all right.

Slowly opening the door, she looked to find where Niko was. Stepping out of the warm bathroom caused a shiver to trace her spine. “Niko?” she called out into the empty bedroom and waited for his reply.

“In the kitchen.” He responded back and sounded preoccupied.

Walking out of the bathroom she headed back toward the kitchen in search of her companion. The floor was cold beneath her feet and she wondered if he had some extra socks for her. Walking into the main living space she saw him sitting at the bar with his back to her and was typing something on the computer. His hand reached over to a glass tumbler and he took a sip of a clear liquid. Her feet were soundless on the highly polished wood floor as she approached.

He turned when he felt her approach and felt his face flush. He had a few glasses of vodka while she was showering, and the pain pills were starting to take effect, but what caused the blood to rush to a couple of places was her. She was standing in front of him in nothing but a towel, her hair was wrapped in another towel, and she looked beautiful to his eyes.

“Do you have a first aid kit? I need some bandages…” Her voice trailed off and she reached up and covered a spot over her chest.

Swiveling on the stool he turned to face her fully. He noticed some of the marks he hadn’t earlier that graced her creamy skin, and it made his heart hurt. He saw the thin line that ran the length of her collarbone, and another one that started just above the swell of her breasts and disappeared into the towel that was tightly wrapped around them. Her hand rested over one of her breasts and he assumed that was what she needed bandaged. Getting up off the stool he closed the space between them. His eyes held such sorrow for her that it caused her to look away.

Reaching out he lightly placed his hands on the sides of her face and turned her back to him. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

She was holding back the tears and he could tell she was trying hard. She sniffled lightly and looked back to his eyes, “How can you look at me when I am hideous?” Her hand dropped away from her chest and he saw the bite mark. It was sluggishly trying to bleed, and it was bruising quickly.

Anger burned in his stomach at seeing the mark, but her words bothered him more. “You are not hideous, not to me. Don’t ever think that. Come, let me bandage the wound, and we can get you to bed.” He ran his hands lightly down the sides of her face, neck, shoulders, and down her arms to grasp her hands. Pulling her back toward the bedroom he guided her to sit on the bed. She sat on the edge, mindful of the towel and made sure it stayed covering her. She watched as he opened a drawer on his nightstand and pulled out a stiff cloth looking bag.

He placed his first aid kit on the bed and sat next to her. He folded one of his legs up and let the other dangle over the edge of the bed. She turned her body to face him and shifted the top of the towel, lowering it slightly to give him better access to the bite mark. Her breasts were pushed together by the tightness of the towel and he got a good look at her cleavage. She wasn’t huge by Roman’s standards, but they were the perfect size for her body, and he longed to be able to run his hands over her, to feel the softness of her skin. Her face was turned away from him again and he realized she was worried about how she looked to him.

“Kate, you know this changes nothing about the way I feel about you. You don’t have to be ashamed.” He turned her face back to him, “Look,” he held out his arm and pointed to a long scar that ran down his bicep, “this scar is from the first fight I ever got into. The person managed to catch me with his knife, and it took months for it to heal up correctly. Do you think I am ashamed of this scar?” He saw her shake her head no. Lifting up his tank top he showed her a bullet scar that rested on his lower abdomen. It resided just outside of his six-pack and it caused a blush to form on her face. “Scars are nothing to be ashamed of, and while I hope yours will heal and you won’t have to live with them, to have the constant reminder of what happened, know that I will never judge you or only see the scars. I only see you.”

Silent tears fell from her eyes at his words. He always managed to say what she needed to hear. She placed her hand on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, it will take some time, but I had no idea how bad I looked. I looked a mess, and I can’t believe you didn’t react poorly when you saw me for the first time.”

“I was only focused on getting you away from him. I did not pay attention till I was sure you would be okay.” He placed his hand over hers. In truth he had seen her face and the bruising and wanted nothing more than to spirit her away from there. “I am sorry I was not able to stop him from doing what he did.”

“You didn’t let him rape me, and- and that will be something I will always be grateful for. Seeing you enter the room… I knew I would be okay when I saw you.” She wiped the tears from her face, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

Niko opened the first aid kit and pulled out some gauze, skin tape, and some kind of ointment. He opened the gauze package and folded some together to form a plush pad large enough to cover the bite. Squeezing some of the ointment on the gauze, he made sure to get a good amount on it. It would help with infection and pain, and would hopefully keep the germs from spreading. Looking for her permission he scooted closer to get to work on bandaging the wound. He lightly placed the gauze on the wound and held it in place.

“Hold this while I get the tape. It shouldn’t stick to the wound and will be easy to remove later in the morning.” She reached up and placed her fingers against the makeshift bandage. Niko tore a few pieces off from the tape and ran them the length of the sides of the bandage. Running his fingers over the tape to make sure it would stay put. Goosebumps rose on her skin with the light touch of his fingers.

“Thank you, Niko.” She whispered, not sure why she felt the need to be quiet.

He continued to rub his fingers along the tape that held the gauze to her skin and let his fingers drift to the non-tapped sides. He was trying to not imagine what kind of force would be needed to break the skin while biting down. Or how painful that would be. His eyes wandered over the other cuts and fought the image of the man running the knife over her skin. He felt his own tears burn in his eyes and closed them. He would need another drink.

“I’m going to go get my clothes on, I’ll be right back.” Kate stood from the bed and walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

He was struggling to keep his thoughts contained. She had suffered at that man’s hands, and he hated that he wasn’t there sooner. Whoever had sent them was going to die a very slow and painful death. He shoved off the bed and headed back into the living room. Walking over to the computer he closed the screen. The USB would need to get to Francis soon. He didn’t like what he saw and was worried there could be more someplace else. They had been tracking Kate. And from the looks of the images it had been for months. He saw her coming and going from work, a salon in upper Algonquin, and to a random apartment building over by Playboy X’s place. They had photos of her having coffee with another male and he felt a small amount of jealously form in his chest at the image of her placing her hand over his. He would finish looking over the other folders before giving it to Francis. The last thing he wanted was Francis going off the deep end.

He had set up a makeshift bed for himself on the couch while she showered, as he would offer the bed to her. He wouldn’t be able to be in the same bed as her, he wouldn’t get any sleep. He grabbed his glass off the counter and the glass bottle of vodka and walked over to the couch. He placed them on the coffee table and headed back into the kitchen for a second glass. If he was feeling the way he was, he was sure she would want something stronger to drink before bed. Maybe keep the demons at bay while she slept.

Plopping down on the couch, he fluffed the pillows up and leaned against them. He kicked his feet up and placed them on the coffee table. He would wait for her to change, and then see if she needed anything before bed.

Kate had dropped the towel off her body once she made it inside the bathroom. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she kept replaying Niko’s words. Grabbing the sweater with more force than was necessary she shoved the garment over her head. The soft cashmere caressed her skin and she smiled at the added comfort. The sweater gaped in the front and it hung low on her chest, allowing her bandage to not be rubbed. The sweater fell just to mid-thigh and she found that it covered her underwear. Bending over she undid the towel on her head and let her hair fall. Flipping it back as she stood, she looked at her reflection. Her hair had dried slightly, and it was starting to curl. She normally straightened her hair daily but knew he hadn’t packed the straightener for her.

She parted her hair like normal and decided it would just have to air dry. The curls fell in around her face and she saw it hid some of the bruise on her cheek and marks on her neck. Why she was checking her appearance she couldn’t fathom. But she wanted to look somewhat better than what she did earlier. Deciding to forgo the leggings he had packed she made quick work brushing her teeth. He really had thought of everything when getting a go bag ready for her. Picking up her tattered pajamas she wadded them up in her hands and shoved them in a side pocket of the duffle bag. She would get rid of them later. Checking to make sure she left the bathroom the way it was before she entered, she walked out and laid the duffle bag next to his hamper of dirty clothes.

She didn’t see him in the bedroom and guessed he had probably gone back to the living room. Walking into the living space she saw him sitting on the couch and decided to join him. She didn’t think she would be able to fall asleep any time soon.

Niko glanced up to her as she made her way around the couch and noticed she hadn’t put any pants on. He swallowed thickly and darted his eyes back up to her face. _‘Woman you are going to kill me…’_ The sweater was loose, but it hugged in just the right places. Her tiny waist was accentuated, and it slid along her thighs when she moved. It was incredibly sexy, and he found himself looking her over again and again. The sweater was open around her chest and he could see the bandage. The deep green made her skin glow with the contrast and he never thought she had looked more beautiful than she did right now. Her hair was curling around her face and he loved the curls. It made her look innocent and vibrant. While he liked her hair the way she normally wore it, this was natural.

“Hey, is it okay if I join you? I don’t think I can sleep just yet.”

He only nodded silently at her and dropped his feet from the coffee table so she could walk over to an empty spot on the couch. He sat up a little and reached for his glass of vodka. She sat down right next to him. Not as in the cushion next to him, but _right_ next to him. He could practically feel the body heat that was coming off of her. He looked at her sideways and couldn’t help the smile that tugged his lips. Pulling the glass to him he took a small sip and rested it on his thigh.

She watched him take a sip and debated if she wanted a drink. She had noticed the empty glass on the table and smirked at his quick thinking. “May I?”

Niko leaned up off the couch and pulled her glass toward him. Grabbing the vodka, he poured her a generous amount before topping his glass off and setting it back on the table. The pain pills were in full effect and he could feel the slight fuzziness that hung in his brain. His body wasn’t throbbing in pain anymore and he could breathe easier now. Handing her, her glass he leaned back into the couch.

“To getting better.” She said with a lopsided grin before holding her glass up to cheers.

“Ypa ( _Ura_ ).” He clinked his glass against hers and downed the whole glass.

Following his lead, she downed hers and felt the burn all the way down to her toes. _‘Wow that felt good!’_ Kate reached across the table and grabbed the bottle before he could move and re-poured herself another healthy shot before offering to do his.

He held his glass out for her and watched as she poured another large shot for him. He was feeling the buzz from all he had drank while she was showering, but he would welcome more, especially if it kept her sitting next to him a little longer.

She clinked her glass to his and took a swing off her glass. The burn seemed to dull the pain in her skin and the pull she felt against the cuts. But she knew alcohol wouldn’t truly be the answer for her pain. “Do you have some Tylenol? I could use something for the pain…”

“I’ll do you one better, but I’m only giving you half. They probably would have given you a prescription if you had gone to the hospital.” He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the third pain pill he had grabbed from his medicine stash. He knew she would be hurting and would probably be looking for something to kill it. He set his glass down and broke the pill in half, holding one of the halves out for her to take.

She took the pill and placed it in her mouth before taking another sip of the vodka. She had no idea what she had just taken, but she trusted him not to knock her out.

“You just take random pills from strangers?”

“No, and you aren’t a stranger. You wouldn’t give me something that would hurt me. I would think you thought more highly of me than to just hand me something bad.”

“True. It’s a pain killer, a strong one, I don’t take them often, but night’s like tonight; I know I need the extra help. Makes it easier to sleep through the night.”

She hummed an annoyed sound but pushed it away from her mind. She would ask why he needed the pills later. From what she saw, he had only possibly fought one person at her mom’s house, had he gotten hurt by him? Turning to look at the TV she saw he had kept it on the movie she had landed on earlier. It was a sappy movie that she would watch after scary ones so she would be able to sleep at night. The alcohol was burning in her system and she shuddered at the feeling.

Niko downed the rest of his glass and placed it on the table, he would be pacing himself from here on out. He didn’t want to get drunk, and he definitely wanted to be aware of what was going on since she was in his care. He settled back down into the couch and let his body relax. He knew no one would be able to reach them here without tripping several security measures. And that fact alone made him feel better about bringing her to his place.

Seeing him settling back down into the couch, she followed his lead and downed the rest of her glass. Placing it on the table she decided she would try and get comfortable. But that would mean snuggling up to him. Before it had felt natural to just collapse into his hold, but now it felt different. It took effort and conscience thought to place herself in his arms. He must have noticed her looking at him because his eyes shifted to her from the TV.

“Everything okay?”

“Can I- um. Well that is. Uh…” she waved her hand toward him in a manner he didn’t understand.

“You wish to lay on me?”

“Yes.” Her face flamed bright red with her blush.

Niko raised his arm from his side and granted her access. She scooted closer and folded herself down into his side. His arm dropped down on her and pulled her in more, his hand resting on her hip. She nuzzled into his chest and felt the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric of his tank top. Yeah this is what she wanted. And he smelled so _good_. She couldn’t quite place a name to the smell, but it just smelled like Niko, and she inhaled greedily.

He felt her settle against his body and fought his own desire to hold her. She was getting close to the line he had formed in his mind. And cuddling was on the other side of that line. The side that led to other things, the side that screamed _more_ than just friends, the side that he wanted to jump into so bad. But he would be patient. He would let her lead and once she gave him the green light, he would show her just want it meant to be truly wanted.

“The bed is yours tonight, I was planning on sleeping on the couch.”

“Can I have the couch? I don’t want to be in a bed.”

Her answer stunned him. Was she worried it would trigger something for her? “If that is what you want.”

“It is. I will be alright on the couch.” She lifted off of him lightly and grabbed the edge of one of the thick blankets he had brought to the couch for his makeshift bed. She pulled the blanket up to her and covered her legs. She was getting good at manipulating him and knew how to move around him. She knew he wouldn’t protest the cuddling, which really it wasn’t cuddling per say, but she needed the closeness and he would provide for her. Carefully she slid her arm across his stomach to wrap around to his far side.

He knew what she was doing. She was working around his walls and getting what she needed. He didn’t mind too much, but it did make him wonder what things would be like if she hadn’t been attacked. If they would still be platonic friends or would she have eventually worked the nerve up and let him touch her. He would’ve gone slow. She had stated several times she wanted to wait, and even her brother said she wouldn’t put out. But he had a sinking feeling that when she started to relive what happened, she would distance herself and push him away.

Her fingers moved in slow arcs on his side and it caused jolts of electricity to run beneath his skin. He could feel her other arm, the one pressed against his side that bent and followed his leg. She had placed her other hand on top of his thigh and was slowing closing and opening her fist. He shut his eyes and had to force his arousal down. Her hands on him were slowly going to lead to other parts of his body to be known and he knew she wouldn’t react well. Her cheek was pressed against his chest and she had tilted her face up toward his neck. Her small puffs of hot breath seemed to sink into his bare skin and caused it to flush.

_‘Yeah, this is worse than any torture I’ve endured.’_ Had this been any other situation, he would have started kissing her senseless. He would’ve caressed her face and neck with his hands. Let his hands dip down to the hem of her sweater and run up inside of it to feel all her smooth skin. He would have her panting in need and would pull her to his lap. _‘So not helping…’_

Snapping his eyes open he tried to focus on the movie she had put on. English wasn’t the easiest language to understand, but he was getting better at it. He had figured out that the two people in the movie were madly in love but refused to act on it. Why they didn’t he would never know. American’s had such complicated emotions.

Unaware of the slow torture she was putting him though, she let her mind wander. The alcohol was making her warm, and it was starting to cloud her mind. Or was that the pain pill? Whatever it was, it was giving her a small buzz and she liked the warm fuzzy feeling it was giving her. She wanted to tell Niko everything, so if they ever did get the chance to explore where she wanted their relationship to go, he would know what to avoid. She doubted he would rush her, he hadn’t yet, and he had been nothing but caring this whole morning. The first words he growled when he spoke to the man on top of her came rushing back to her mind.

_“The fuck are you doing to my girlfriend?!”_

He had called her girlfriend. And in such a possessive way. It made her insides clench. Even after all the time they had spent together, and after all the times she had vehemently denied they weren’t something more, she wanted that something more with him. Every other guy she had talked to, potential boyfriends, had treated her like a piece of meat. It was as if they could sense her virginity. Niko was the first guy to not ask, to not even bring up sex. He simply talked about his life, asked about hers. She had been blind and guarded and she hoped she hadn’t ruined the chance to be with him.

Her eyes drifted shut as the fuzzy feeling took over her mind. It was like she was in a hot tub, the water jets making a soothing noise, the heat sinking into her muscles. She was on the edge of drifting off into the blissful oblivion of sleep. On that edge of being awake and asleep she curled herself more into the warmth of Niko’s body. Her face found the perfect resting place against the soft skin of his neck just below the stubble of his facial hair. She placed a soft kiss there, and sighed out his name, before tumbling into sleep. 

His fingers dug into the blanket above the side of her thigh. He had felt her shift and her elbow had brushed against the edge of his pants, just shy of brushing the tip of his member. It had caused him to force down the moan that wanted to escape him. Her face got dangerously close to his, and he felt her settle into a more comfortable position. Her lips pressed an agonizingly soft kiss to his neck, and he felt everything inside himself stop. Then the softest of whispers floated to his ears.

“ _Niko”_

Her body slumped against him and he could tell she had passed out. But the way she had said his name brought all kinds of fantasies to the forefront of his mind. The thoughts kept spiraling around in his head and he felt dizzy. He had never had to fight himself before, he had never been with a woman who didn’t want to have sex. This was new territory. And though the chase was fun, he wasn’t sure how long he would last. She was a marathon, a long drawn out race to the finish line. And he was up for the challenge. But he couldn’t remain here on the couch with her and sleep. He needed the space. Her smell was intoxicating.

Very carefully he untangled himself from her. He gently lowered her to the pillows and shifted her to be comfortable. Grabbing the blanket that had crumpled down around her legs, he lifted it to cover her. He grabbed a quilt from the armchair and draped it across her body. He would be sure to turn the heater up to keep her warm while she slept. He took a moment to study her; her face was peaceful, and she had a goofy smile on her lips. When she shifted, it was to bury herself more into the pillows and pull the blankets up closer to her chin. He bent down and placed a kiss to her forehead.

“Sleep well Лепа ( _Lepa)_. I will always protect you, and I will always care for you.” He whispered the words close to her ear before placing another light kiss to her cheek. He would try to stay awake for a little while making sure the nightmares wouldn’t start up, then he would fulfill the need to sleep. His body was tired, and while the medicine kept the pain at bay, he knew sleep would be the best thing for him.

Silently he took the glasses to the kitchen and poured himself one last shot. She had awoken a deep desire in him tonight and it would be awhile before he could stuff it back down. She was going to give him a run for his money, he was sure of it. He looked at his laptop and decided he would do some more digging on the USB before going to sleep. Clicking the off button on the TV remote, he grabbed the closed laptop and started walking toward the bedroom. He figured he’d leave the floor lamp on; he didn’t want her to wake up in a strange place and not be able to see her surroundings.

Seeing the bed made him just want to crawl in and pass out. The computer could wait till later. Placing the laptop down on the dresser he went to work on putting the first aid kit back into his nightstand. He grabbed his pistol out from under his pillow and released the magazine. It had three bullets in it. Sliding the slide back slowly, he clicked it open and dislodged the bullet in the chamber. Grabbing a full magazine, he loaded it into the gun and released the slide. It made a loud click when it returned to its rightful place. He paused listening to see if the noise had awakened Kate. When he heard nothing but steady breathing coming from the living room, he returned the gun back under his pillow.

His tank top was form fitting and he knew it would be uncomfortable to wear in bed. Deciding it would just be better to sleep comfortably than toss and turn all night he tugged the top over his head and threw it toward the dresser. Remembering to adjust the heater, he walked over to the thermostat on the wall and bumped it up a couple of degrees. The air immediately started to feel warmer against his skin and it caused him to smile.

Returning to the bed he flipped the comforter and sheet back and slid into bed. His whole body relaxed into the soft cushion of his mattress. Reaching up he clicked the lamp off on his nightstand and saw that the alarm clock flashed 0430. His eyes took a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room, he could make out the faint glow from the living room lamp. Letting his eyes drift shut, he let his mind calm after a long day. His body practically shut down on him and dragged his mind into sleep. He was exhausted after all.


	2. Wrong is Right

"Niko"

His mind was playing tricks on him and he grumbled at the noise. He rolled over and started to fall back asleep.

"Niko"

Again, the voice brushed across his tired mind and he forced himself to stay asleep. He was too tired to move.

A light touch graced his shoulder and he shot awake. His hand found the pistol under his pillow and in one fluid motion the safety clicked off and he grabbed the arm that was close to him and jerked it close. Shifting his hold, he grabbed the person's throat and put the gun against the soft flesh of the face.

His eyes took a moment to adjust and he stared in horror at who he had grabbed. His hand immediately released her throat and he click the safety on as he moved the gun to his lap. He had sat bolt upright when he woke up and had partially pulled her on the bed when he grabbed her. Her knee was on the edge of the bed and her face was close to his.

"Kate, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean- I'm sorry." He fumbled his words. He really couldn't say anything that would make what he did right. He was used to being alone when he slept and had reacted in instinct. She didn't answer him right away and it made him worry that he had hurt her.

Her sniffling reached his ears and he felt horrible. He had probably scared her pretty bad and may have triggered something to surface in her mind. He saw her reach up and wipe a few tears away. Yeah he felt pretty shitty now.

"I'm sorry, I had a nightmare. When I woke, you weren't there, and I panicked." Her voice was small, and it took him a second to understand her.

He was torn. While he knew he probably should have stayed by her, he needed some sleep. And he would most definitely not have slept if she were pressed up against him. He figured she might have nightmares, who wouldn't after the ordeal she just went through. But seeing her leaning over the edge of his bed, her tears sliding down her face, he felt awful for leaving her on the couch.

He would regret this, he knew, but he reached out next to him and flipped the covers back. Sleep be dammed. She needed this and he would provide. He saw her eyes flash to where the covers had moved, and he wasn't sure what crossed her face. It was a look somewhere between doubt, relief, and uncertainty.

"You slept alright before I left, it is only logical that you would be able to sleep if you are next to me. If you are uncomfortable, then I will go join you on the couch." He would leave it up to her. He had offered the comfort of his bed; it would be up to her to decide.

She hesitated for a moment. Could she do this? Could she climb into bed with someone? She hadn't shared a bed with anyone since she was 10. And that was the last time she had spent the night in her mom's room. Her father had been gone, and she was scared of the storms. Now she was offered to share _his_ bed. Where she could reach out and feel him close if she wanted.

"Will you be alright?"

The question caught him off guard. Since killing the man who violated her, she hadn't asked once if he was alright with her touching him. She had asked if it was alright if she stayed with him, but she had never asked for permission to be close. She simply needed, and he gave. She had suffered at the hands of some monster, and he wanted to give her whatever she needed to feel better.

"I will manage." And he would. It would be difficult if she slept pressed against him, but he would manage.

"Niko," She had sighed his name again and it gave him goosebumps. "I don't want you to just manage. If it isn't okay, I need to know. You have done enough for me already; I do not want to push." She sat on the edge of the bed close to him. Her sweater had slipped down one of her shoulders and he could just make out the curve of her breast in the dim light. The bandage a reminder of what she had gone through.

"Kate it is not something I wish to speak on, I will be alright, just know- it is difficult." He had placed his hand on the side of her face, and she leaned into his touch. Her confusion apparent on her face. He let out a long sigh. He could do this. He could tell her. She needed to know.

"Kate you must know I like and care for you, and you must know that I find you attractive, and I am fighting myself to keep from crossing any lines you have placed before me. I do not want to hurt you, and I do not want you to think poorly of me."

She was thankful for the darkness of the room, her face had flamed greatly at his words, and she secretly was overjoyed he liked her. What he said started to dawn on her and she knew she had probably made him uncomfortable with all the holding on to him and cuddling up to his side. She couldn't help it. It was like she was starving for attention, and he was the only one who could fill that need.

"Niko I wouldn't think poorly of you. As weird as it sounds, I would um. I would feel _bad_ if you didn't have a reaction to me. I would think you weren't attracted to me…" God she could only image how red her face must be. It was true. If he wasn't aroused in some form, she would think he didn't find her attractive enough. And that was something she didn't want to think about. She dealt with her own insecurities and didn't need a rejection from him. It would destroy her. And she wouldn't be able to look at herself in the mirror.

' _Well at least she's honest.'_ Niko rubbed the side of her face with his thumb, he was still holding her, and he wasn't sure what to say. Even now he could feel a stirring of need in his groin, but he wasn't going to let her know. He would let her lay next to him, and he would keep his hands to himself.

"Then it's settled. If you need to sleep next to me then climb in." He patted the bed next to him and gave her a lopsided grin. He shoved his pistol back under his pillow and hoped he wouldn't have a knee jerk reaction and grab at it again.

"Thank you." She shifted away from him and walked around to the other side of the bed. Sitting down and slipping her legs into the covers, she had a moment of panic. She was about to sleep in a bed with a man. One that was attracted to her. Her hands shook on the edge of the covers and couldn't seem to move.

Niko's hand settled on top of hers. As if his touch broke her trance, she looked over to him. He was giving her an understanding look and he lightly rubbed her fingers. "Get some sleep. Francis will probably be calling in a few hours, and all hell will break loose again. Take these next few hours and recover." He slid down the bed and rolled over to face her.

Taking that as her cue she followed suit and laid down on her side facing him. He was incredibly handsome, and she didn't mind that he wasn't clean shaven. It gave him an edge and it secretly thrilled her. His eyes were open, and he was looking at her softly. She knew waking him might startle him, but she wasn't prepared for him to react that way. She had her own fear grip her when the cool metal of the gun pressed to her chin. She felt a tear trickle down over the bridge of her nose. He hadn't meant to scare her, but it had.

Niko reached out and caught the tear, "No more tears tonight. You are safe here next to me." He gave her a small smile, "I really am sorry about how I woke up…" He let his hand drop back down under the covers, feeling like he had failed her.

"Thank you, Niko. And it's okay. I should've tried to warn you before going to sleep that I would probably have a nightmare…" She returned the smile and reached out for his hand under the covers. The tears continued to slip from her eyes, and she couldn't stop them. He was so perfect. Why hadn't she seen it sooner? If she was truly dating him, maybe she would've been at his place instead of her mom's. Maybe they would've been out late on the town, having a few beers and playing some pool. But then her mom would've been alone…

He watched as the tears continued to fall, she had grasped his hand beneath the covers and was wiping at her face with the other. She broke his heart with how sad she looked. He did the only thing he could think of. He tugged their joined hands to him and scooted closer to her. He slid his free arm under the pillow she rested on and pulled her closer so her head would fit onto his larger bicep. He placed his forehead to hers and released her hand, bringing his up to stroke her cheek. He brushed her tears away slowly. He folded his arm around her head and stroked her hair softly. Her eyes fluttered closed at his touch causing a few more tears to fall.

"Shhh, everything is going to be okay. I got you Kate."

She was close, as close as she had ever been to him. Their faces were mere inches apart, the tips of their noses touching, and his bare skin was on fire to her. She could feel his breath on her face every time he exhaled. She shifted closer and pressed herself to him. A small part of her wondered what it would be like if she wasn't wearing the big bulky sweater. How his chest would feel pressed to her own. Her hand settled on his side just above the hem of his pants and she ran it up the length of his body to rest over his heart. She felt him quiver under her touch and it sent a wicked thrill down her own spine.

His hand that rested on her face slid down to her waist below the covers and gripped the fuzzy, soft fabric of her sweater. She had moved into him and he was drowning in her scent. It was slowly making him lose control of his mind. She fit perfectly to his body, and she was driving him crazy. He felt her leg brush against his and he shifted so hers could rest between. It was erotic being this close to her, and he slid his eyes closed in bliss. Did she know what she did to him?

Kate was in heaven. His skin was smooth under the pads of her fingers and she realized he didn't have a lot of chest hair. She kept exploring his chest with her hand. His muscles were hard, toned, from years of having to defend himself. And she could feel rough raised sections where he had been wounded, and the skin had healed roughly. She rubbed her nose against his and felt a small tug at her lips. Leaving the exploration of his chest she moved her hand up to his face. The stubble tickled her hand.

A thought crossed her mind, one that caused her to tug her bottom lip into her mouth and chew it in uncertainty. She had never been kissed before. Well, kissed on her lips. Niko had been placing feather light kisses to her nonstop since her rescue, but not once had he come close to her mouth. Now his lips were so close, all she would have to do was press hers to his. Would he pull away? Would he kiss back? Would he be okay with it? The more and more she thought about it, the more she lost the courage to try.

His mind was foggy, and he drifted on the way she felt pressed up against him. Their legs were partially tangled together, and he had her face so close to his, he wanted to reach out and lay his lips upon hers. They had felt so soft when she had kissed his neck earlier and he wondered if they would be just as soft pressed to his. His fingers laced into her mass of curls on the back of her head and he loved the silky soft feel of them. He would wait, he would have to. He wasn't sure what was allowed, and the way they were wrapped up in each other was making it hard to determine if he had crossed the line. Or for that matter, where the line was.

" _Niko_?" She had felt her vocal cords strain with his name, her voice coming out lower than normal, almost like a moan. Her hand was running along his jaw line and she felt him swallow when she called his name.

Her voice floated around in his mind like he had only ever dreamed of hearing her say his name. The whispered moan of his name that would slip past her lips as he loved her body. His fingers moved to cup the back of her head, keeping her from moving away from him. He would give anything to hear her say his name like that again. The hand that had settled on her waist slid around to her lower back and pulled her flush against him. He groaned low at the contact. Had it really been so long since he was intimate with someone?

A tiny gasp left her lips when he pulled her close. He essentially caged her in to him and she felt herself shiver in anticipation. She had never felt such a yearning need to feel him pressed to her. And she found herself wanting more. A tightness began to coil below her belly button, and she wanted it to unwind. Needed him to make it go away. Her nerves tingled everywhere and every time something brushed against her skin, it would feel like fireworks exploded. And when he groaned, she felt the vibration in his chest, making her legs feel like jelly.

"Niko, I've never been kissed before…" Why she felt the need to let him know now out of all times she's had a chance to tell him, she wasn't sure. But something told her he needed to know. He needed to know she didn't know what to do, and that she was scared he wouldn't want to take the time to show her how.

' _God she hasn't even been kissed… I will be her first…'_ He had felt himself start to harden when he pulled her close, and he tried to slow his racing heart. She wouldn't be ready, would be far from ready, and he knew it would scare her away if he moved to quickly. But kissing? That he could do, that he would gladly show her. He opened his eyes to see if she was hinting at wanting to be kissed, or if she was simply telling him. Her eyes were still closed, and he could feel the wild beat of her heart thundering away in her chest. Her bottom lip had disappeared into her mouth and he saw she was biting it. She trembled slightly and he wondered if it was out of fear or need. She wasn't tense, quite the opposite really, and she had started slowly moving her leg up and down against his.

"Are you wanting me to?"

His voice was low, his accent thick, and had a slight groan to it, and it caused her to shiver. The question burned in her mind and she opened her eyes to look into his. She could barely make out the naked desire she saw there, the longing to kiss her, and the question that flashed in his eyes at her hesitation. Would he back away if she said no? Or would he kiss her anyway and betray her trust? Her fingers traced his jaw one last time coming to rest on his chin. Tentatively she reached up and traced her fingers along his bottom lip. _'They are so soft!'_

His hand on the back of her head shifted to the base of her skull and drew her in closer, lightly fisting in her hair. He brought her dangerously close to his lips, only leaving a hairs width between them, her hand lowering back down to his chin. His hand on her lower back clutched her sweater tightly and pressed her body more fully into him. He would make it difficult for her to say no but would respect her answer if she turned him down. His eyes burned with his need to capture her lips, and breathing in slowly, taking her scent in, he whispered to her-

"Tell me."

" _Please!"_

Her pleading, wispy voice snapped something inside of him. Like the lock falling away from a safe, with the door opening rapidly with its release. He brought her lips to his in a soft, feathery light kiss. A simple brushing of his lips on hers. He would start small, feel for her reactions, and go from there. He would be patient and slow with her and would let her set the pace. And he would give whatever she wanted. He ended the kiss just as quickly as he had started it. Waiting for her reaction.

When his lips touched hers, she had felt everything fall away from her. Her eyes drifted shut as her heart gave a jolt. All the doubt, fear, uncertainty, anguish, and hesitation faded away and a rush of joy flooded her body. She felt the coil twist tighter inside her and she wanted him to kiss her again. To do more than simply place his lips to hers. She wanted to be _kissed_. Sliding her fingers back along his jaw, she lightly dug her nails into the flesh below his ear and tugged his face forward. Unsure of herself she placed her lips against his, the way he had, and hoped she was doing it right.

When her lips brushed against his he added more pressure, before pulling away and crashing his lips back to hers. Her nails dug harder into his skin and he moaned low in his chest. It made him wonder briefly where her rougher treatment of him was coming from, and what he would have to do to make her rake her nails down his back. Tilting his head slightly he deepened the kiss.

If this is what kissing was like, she could get used to it. The way his mouth moved over hers made a wetness form between her legs and she squeezed them together. The reaction scaring her for a second before his head had tilted and he began kissing her again. She wanted to be closer to him, wanted to feel more of him, as he kissed her harder. Delicately she moved her fingers away from his jaw and down his neck, moving further down to tuck beneath the arm that was wrapped around her waist, finding purchase on his hip bone where the edge of his pants sat. She had felt him shudder under her touch, causing his hands to tighten on her. Pulling her leg from where it was tangled in-between his, she lifted it to be on top of his, and slid her calf along his, bringing her knee up so she could hook her leg around his knee. Essentially switching their legs on who was tangled in who.

Yep, she was going to kill him this morning. She was pressing herself to him in all the right places, and his eyes slid shut in complete ecstasy. She was kissing him back with as much enthusiasm as he was. And when her leg brushed the outside of his he couldn't stop the involuntary quake that shook him to his core. His hand released her sweater and left in search of her leg. His hand smoothed the sweater down as he went and when he came in contact with her skin, he let out another small moan. He shifted her leg higher as he stroked down it, tucking his hand behind her knee and pulling it closer to him. His leg slid underneath and gave her something to rest hers on. He would've moved his higher and rubbed on her, but he wouldn't go that far. He forced his hand to stay on her knee, to not slide back up her smooth leg and under her sweater. His fingers flexed where they held her knee and felt her lips separate as she let out a breathy moan.

Taking the opportunity, he slid his tongue along her bottom lip. Asking for permission to enter her mouth. He wasn't expecting her to oblige but was pleased when she opened for him. He explored her mouth, played with her tongue, showing her how to French kiss, as she had called it once. She was eager to learn and kissed him back. Pushing his tongue back into his own mouth and repeating what he had done to her. Her foot moved on his lower leg it was hooked around and gave it a nudge to move his leg higher. He moved at her instruction and shifted his leg up.

She ground down on his leg and moaned at how that felt. Her hand shifting to his lower back and digging her nails in. He bit down on her bottom lip with her actions, lightly tugging it. "Добри Бог Kate. ( _Dobri Bog_ )" He mumbled around her lip, releasing the flesh and pulling her head to the side. He trailed kisses down her jaw to her neck, his hand sliding up her leg and over her sweater to grab at her ass, pulling her toward his leg again. The throaty moan that left her lips, caused his own to echo hers.

Her body was tingling, and the coil kept twisting tighter and tighter inside of her, she didn't know how to make it release, and it was making her pant. Her body was reacting on its own, and her brain was in a fuzzy, happy, blissful state. Removing her hand from his lower back she untucked it from under his arm and ran her hand up and through the short, fuzzed hair on the back of his head. Scraping her nails when he kissed her harder under her jaw.

He made sure not to kiss her anywhere she had been bruised. He wanted to be the first to touch the unmarked spaces with his lips. To mark his territory. She was his, there would be no denying it anymore. He wouldn't be able to let her leave him after this. He dragged his hand up from her ass to between her shoulder blades, the action causing her sweater to hike up around her waist. Continuing to kiss her beautiful skin, he came to the junction of her neck and collarbone. When he pressed a kiss to the spot, he felt her gasp and she ground down harder on his leg. He smirked at finding her spot.

" _Oh Niko_!" His name came out as a moan and he kissed down on the spot again. Her nails raked down the back of his head to his neck lightly before she dug in into his shoulder when he placed a harder kiss to her neck. He pulled her sweater away giving him better access. He trailed kisses back up her neck before going back to the spot that made her moan his name the way he liked.

She wasn't sure how much more she could handle; he was driving her mad! Her hand found the side of his face and she pulled him back up to hers and kissed him hard. She forced his lips apart and dove her tongue into his mouth. If she felt this bone tingly good, then she wanted to make sure he felt the same. She attacked his mouth with fever, and when she pulled away, she bit down on his lower lip like he had hers. His hand moved back down to her hip and grabbed her roughly, forcing her to grind on his leg with more force.

He opened his eyes to see the burning desire in hers. A sultry smile pulled at her lips before she kissed him softly. She trailed kisses down his chin, along his jaw, and down his neck. She had pushed him back slightly so she could get better access to the flesh that teased her sight. Her hand wandered down over his abdomen and felt him clench under her fingers. She felt powerful being able to make him react to her touch.

She was doing wicked things to his body and he was fully hard. Her hand had drifted down his stomach and he had clenched in anticipation. He didn't think she would be so bold as to grab him, but she had gotten too close. Her mouth was hot on his neck and he was slowly wishing he could do more. He knew he would need to stop her soon. His pants were incredibly tight, and it was getting a little painful. He could feel the heat of her on his leg every single time she would rub herself on him. He was losing the battle to stop, and he knew if she didn't slow down soon, he would cross the line. She was placing small breathy kisses to his collarbone and he felt her reach for his hand sliding it further behind her so he could cup her ass. His fingers dug into the soft cotton of her panties and he grabbed as much flesh as his hand could hold.

Her neck was stretched out before him as she moved along his collarbone and he placed kisses to her pulse point trying to gain control of the situation. Her hand had found its way back to his hipbone and the tips of her fingers were digging below the waistband of his pants and boxers. Fire burned in his veins and shifted his weight into her causing her to roll onto her back. He followed the momentum and moved to hover over her, supporting his weight on his arms. Her legs had moved and shifted to either side of him letting him settle between them and he heard her whimper. He paused at the noise and looked to her face; her lips slightly swollen from all the kissing.

Her hands traveled up his sides and cupped his face. Her eyes held such a soft look he was unsure what it meant. He could feel her heart still pounding in her chest and his matched her pace. He had gotten them pretty worked up, and he would only continue if she let him. But she needed to lead, he would stop or keep going on her word.

"Are you okay? Have I done something wrong?"

Her voice was small, and he could see the doubt and confusion starting to fill her eyes.

"Never. Have I gone too far?"

She could hear the concern in his voice, and it calmed her nerves. He had been amazing, more than amazing. And she felt the tightly coiled spring twist tighter at the look he was giving her. He was breathing hard, and his eyes shone in the dark. She could feel something hard pressing onto her stomach and she rubbed against it. His arms shook on either side of her head and she wondered at his reaction. His eyes had closed, and he sucked in a lung-full of air. Her fingers traced his jaw and made their decent to his chest. She let her nails trace his skin and she felt the goosebumps rise under the pads of her fingers. She traced the edges of his six-pack before sliding her hands to his hips.

Her touch was all he needed to lean down and press a tender kiss to her lips. He held his body off of hers more, still needing to know if he had gone too far with her. He leaned back from her lips and asked her again, "Do I need to stop?" He hoped she would say no, he wanted to keep exploring her, but would stop if she needed him to.

She felt his breath as it fanned across her face and turned his question over in her mind. She really enjoyed what he was doing, and she felt incomplete, like there was something that needed to be done. She felt hot, and she needed him to touch her again, to finish whatever he had started. She wasn't sure she would be able to go all the way, but she needed _something_. What that was she didn't know.

His lips were right above hers and she pressed a light kiss to his. "Please, I feel this burn, like something needs to snap, I don't understand…" Her voice trailed off, unsure if her words made sense to him. She felt embarrassed at not being able to explain what she felt.

' _She doesn't even know…'_ "Would you like me to help?" He would help; oh, he would help her climax. He wondered if it would be her first. If he would be the one to help her over the edge for the first time in her life.

"Please Niko." She had moaned his name into his lips before pressing hers to his.

He lowered himself to rest on his elbows, bending his arms on either side of her head, and deepened the kiss. Her words permission enough to continue. He would never get tired of hearing his name leave her lips like that. It caused him to tingle all over. He pressed kiss after kiss to her soft lips, taking his time building her back up. He was slow in his movements, wanting to draw every moment out, wanting to make it memorable for her. He felt her hands lift to encircle him and pull him down flush to her body. He lightly ground into her, feeling the dampness through his pajama pants and boxers.

' _Oh my God, she is so wet…'_ He felt his body quiver knowing he could get her so close and hadn't really even touched her.

Her body jolted at the sensation his body made pressing against her center. She could feel dampness in her panties, and she was worried that wasn't supposed to happen, but the way Niko had reacted she knew it wasn't bad. She raised her hips and rubbed against him again wanting to see if she'd get the same reaction. A throaty moan vibrated in his chest feeling her damp core press up against his member. If she wanted it this way, he would give it to her.

Setting a slow pace, he rocked into her, feeling his own need build at the pressure. His hands threaded into her hair and held her face to him. He devoured her mouth, running his tongue along hers and caressing it. Her legs lifted and locked around his waist opening her more for him and giving him easier access to rub against her the way she wanted. He ground into her over and over, being sure to drag and move slowly. Letting her feel him through the clothing, wanting to let her know what was hers, whenever she would want it.

He was so hard. She could feel the length and girth of him when he pressed into her. And it made her legs shake. Her hands were running up and down his back and leaving hot scratches in their wake. He was kissing her neck again and found that she had multiple places that caused her to moan out his name, and he loved the way she said it. He could hear her panting moans getting quicker and her voice was pitchy, broken when he pressed against a sensitive spot. Wrapping his arm under her hips he changed the angle of hers and a pressed himself firmer against her. Her fingers sank into the waistband of his pants and boxers over his own ass and he hissed when her nails dug in.

She held him where she wanted him, where every time he would graze just above her opening, she would see stars. Her head was turning from side to side and when he picked up the pace, she felt like she could burst. The pressure she felt building was getting to where she didn't think it would get much tighter. He was leaving kisses all over her neck, chest, and face, and she didn't know how much more she could take. Noises were coming from her that she had never made before, and Niko was responding to them in ways that were divine. He had wrapped himself around her and she felt so safe, so needed, like all he wanted was her. And she realized she wanted to be like this with him- His arm under her waist, his fingers digging into her side, his other arm wrapped behind her shoulder coming up to where he buried his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head. His pelvis pressed to her own.

"Oh Niko _please_!"

God he would never tire of hearing his name drop from her lips, or the way she pleaded with him. He was close, so very _close_. But he would stay off his own finish to make sure she did. He buried his face into her neck and attached his mouth to her sweet spot, lightly sucking and kissing at it. Her breathing was hitching, and she said his name like a mantra, the volume building in intensity. Her nails digging into him were painful in the most pleasurable way. And she had raked them up his back and gouged into shoulders. It hurt where she burrowed into the bruise, but he was feeling too good to pay it much mind.

"Niko! Niko I-" The pressure building was like a glass filling up rapidly with water about to start pouring over the edges. It was so close to overfilling, and she could feel it all the way down to her toes that had curled at the unparalleled amounts of pleasure she was feeling. His stroking, rocking hips, that rolled into her was intense, and she desperately tried to hold on to him. She felt a tremor start to form low in her core, and it moved in waves through her body. She stiffened and latched herself to him, holding on with all her might.

When she clamped to him, he could feel the light shaking of her limbs, signaling her climax. Her low moan vibrated in his chest, and it sounded like music to his ears. He ground one last time into her, pressing and holding himself to her core, and felt his own release, letting his own moan drift past his lips that were pressed to the junction of her neck. His arms shook under her and he felt his strength leave his body in a rush, causing him to collapse into her. The exertion left him breathless and he gulped in air trying to steady his rapidly beating heart. He could feel her breathing just as hard and knew he needed to get his weight off of her, to let her breath easier. Finding the strength, he lifted his body up just enough to see her face.

Kate was floating on cloud nine, her body twitched with the aftershocks of what she assumed was an orgasm. She had never felt something like it, and she hoped he would be willing to do this again with her soon. She had no idea someone could get such a body high off of _touch_. Her mind was fuzzy, and she couldn't form a single coherent thought. Her eyes cracked open to see him gazing at her. He held such a soft, gentle smile that it caused her to mirror it. She felt something shift in her soul, a rightness that had been missing moving into the gaps she felt. A fullness settled in her heart and it felt ready to burst with just his simple smile. Her hand drifted up to cup his cheek, brushing her fingers along his scruff.

His heart melted at her smile. She looked so at peace, so happy, he couldn't help but lean forward and place a sweet kiss to her mouth. He knew he had it bad for her. She was slowly becoming all he could think about. He would consider his clothes before getting dressed in the mornings to what he thought she would like. He would drive down her street randomly to check on her. He would fight harder and complete jobs quicker if he knew he would be hanging out with her soon.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, but I'll be right back. Will you be alright for a minute?" His voice was husky, and he placed another kiss to her.

"Yeah…" She had sighed sappily. Too lost in her own world to really hear him.

He chuckled and slowly moved off of her. She groaned at the lost contact and shivered at the cold. He moved the covers back over top of her and slid out of the bed. He looked at the clock and saw it was 0645, the sun should be up already. Looking over his shoulder to the large industrial window he could see the rain still coming down. It was going to be a dreary wet day. Shuffling over to the dresser, his legs still weak, he grabbed a new set of boxers and pajama pants. He went sooner than normal, probably from going so long since the last time he was intimate. But if she riled him up like this, and it was really only making out passionately, he couldn't wait for the main event.

Kate watched him grab something out of his dresser and move toward the bathroom. She missed him already, and he was only going to be a few feet away in the bathroom. What they had did- she blushed red and covered her face with her hands. It was magical, and she didn't know she could feel that way. Her brothers always boasted about their sex lives, and even her friend at the waxing salon knew of such things, but she was in the dark. And she cursed herself for it. She wanted to be able to return the feelings she felt to Niko, so he would enjoy this as much as she did. She could only pray he would be alright with waiting. The thought of having his fingers inside her frightened her. It started to bring back flashes of how the men taunted her and provoked her.

' _No! Stop thinking about it! That's not how Niko is! He would never say such things!'_ She wiped at her eyes furiously trying to keep herself from crying. The last thing she wanted to do was make him think she felt bad after being with him in such a way. Or make him think she didn't enjoy it, because she most definitely did. Who knew kissing and physical contact could feel so _good_. She could hear the water running in the bathroom and sighed. He had given her all the attention in the world, made her body feel alive, and it made her feel special. Like she was something he would cherish.

The door opened and closed softly, and she heard his footsteps as he walked back toward the bed. She moved her hands away from her eyes so she could see him in the dim light of the apartment. He looked refined in her eyes, rugged in the sense of being so manly. He was built, but not overly so, and he had that weathered appearance. Not a worn-out look, but a look that screamed he knew what he was doing and could do it well. And his eyes held so much expression. The way he would look at her was never the way he looked at other people, it was something he did only for her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Niko threw his dirty clothes into the hamper and sat back down in the bed. He was worried when he saw her covering her face. He started to feel bad for maybe going too far. He had only wanted to shift her mind away from her nightmares, to give her something else to focus on. Something to feel that made her feel good- to not feel violated. He hadn't planned on taking it that far. Was only going to kiss her, maybe make out for a minute or two. But then she had come alive in his arms and started pushing his buttons, driving him to do more.

"I am more than good Niko. Thank you… We will be able to do _that_ again right?" She was timid in asking. Biting her lower lip and holding her breath for his answer.

"Whenever you need me, I will be more than happy to oblige." He chuckled at her question but was relieved she would be wanting more. He wanted more.

"You make it sound like you don't want to, that it's only for my benefit." She sat up in the bed, her sweater falling off her shoulder, and crossed her legs. Her hands found the hem of her sweater and bunched in the fabric trying to give herself something to do to not feel the worry consume her.

"I have been wanting to kiss you since our first date. Which, I guess, wasn't a date. But I have always wanted you. That hasn't changed Kate. And I won't do anything you don't want me to." He reached out and removed her hands from the sweater, not wanting her to ruin it. "You are in control here, not me. And I will happily do whatever it is you want me to do."

"I enjoyed, um. I really liked what we just did. That was very nice." She threaded her fingers into his and gave a gentle squeeze.

"I did too." He leaned over and planted a soft kiss to her lips and moved to lay back down. Francis was bound to start calling in the next hour. And he was not looking forward to the questions he knew were coming his way. He could tell he wasn't happy about Kate staying with him.

She laid down next to him and scooted closer. His arm moved so she could lay her head on his chest and cuddle into his side. He instinctively pulled her close and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. He would rest, not sleep, and keep watch over her till his phone started to ring. He could feel her breathing evening out and the lax way her body felt against his own. He closed his eyes and let his mind settle, listening to the soft breathing of the woman he held close to him.

"Hey Niko?" Her voice was quiet and slightly slurred with her exhausted state.

"Hm?"

"I was wrong, they were dates. I was just being stupid." She snuggled down into him, settling her arm around his stomach.

He smiled at her words, "Get some sleep Лепа ( _Lepa)_. I will watch over you."

He felt her kiss his chest where her head lay. He gently ran his fingers over her arm that was stretched across his middle. His other arm that kept her close to him was braced against her back and his hand rested on her hip. He listened to her breathing again and made sure she was slipping into sleep. She would need whatever rest she could get in the coming days. There was a long road ahead of them, one he was determined to help her on.

He had failed at keeping her safe. He had made a promise to Patrick before going on their first date that he wouldn't do anything to hurt his sister and would kill who ever did. He was good friends with Patrick and was getting attached to their family. His own family was mostly dead- killed by the wars he lived through. He saw Patrick as a way to have a brother, to fill the void after losing his own brother in the war. And their mother had reminded him of his own. He would need to reach out to her soon, let her know he had found a special woman to have in his life. He imagined that she would love Kate. And would be pushing for grandbabies between one breath and the next.

' _I wonder if I should tell her about Roman's wedding. She would've wanted to be here…'_

The rain had slowed to a drizzle and he could see the sky was brightening to a lighter gray, than the one of night. But it should still be dark enough for Kate to sleep. He didn't want to get up and close the curtains, he was warm and comfortable with her pressed up against his side. _'The way it should be.'_

She stirred in his arms and shifted her legs, crossing over his to put one of hers between his legs. She held tighter for a second, as if she was tensing up, before letting out a shaky breath and relaxing back into him. He had held still when she moved, not wanting to startle her awake. But when she relaxed back down, he started his soft stroking of her arm. He would keep her safe from now on. He had promised her that.

That just left one threat to her- Jimmy Pegorino. No doubt the man was furious with him. And the temper he had would be explosive, burning everything in its wake. And then there was Roman's wedding. He was happy for his cousin, he really was, but the timing of everything couldn't be worse. He wanted to be able to enjoy the wedding and festivities afterwards, not having to look over his shoulder every second. And he wanted to take Kate with him. To show her a good time, to give her something to enjoy.

He would also have to go suit shopping. Which he dreaded more than anything. The men in the store were so snobby and stuck up. But if it impressed Kate, then he would wear whatever monkey suit they had. What would she wear? He hadn't ever seen her in anything other than her jeans and long-sleeved shirt get-up, and well- this wonderful green sweater. He gave the sweater a stroke thanking the medical examiner for pointing out to him to get loose clothing. This would be one of his favorite tops she wore from now on. But would she wear a dress to the wedding? Something to show off in?

Kate stirred in his arms again and he ran his hand up her back and down again trying to sooth her. He prayed she wouldn't have another nightmare. Her tears were hard to see, knowing he couldn't do anything to stop them. He would do his best to keep her happy and preoccupied so she wouldn't have to dwell on what happened to her. Though he assumed at some point she would need to speak about it. To process it properly.

He just hoped he would be able to listen and not let his anger show. They had done a number on her. From what he had saw, and what he put together, she had been forced to endure things she wasn’t ready for. He didn't know if it was just one of the men, or both, that had groped her and violated her. And he shuddered at the thought. He had walked in on the one guy with his hand on her shorts trying to get more. The things he said and offering him the backdoor made his anger stir to life briefly. That was probably the worst part, because he knew she was proud of having waited. She had explained that she wanted the man she married to be the one to have her wholly. And even though she was still a virgin, he knew she wouldn’t see herself as such. A small part of him wished he could be the one she gave her virginity to, but she had said marriage. And he wasn't sure he was ready to fully settle down. Of course, he wouldn't have to look very far to settle down, the woman he'd want to do it with was laying in his arms, in his bed.

A quiet buzz sounded from his dresser. It only went off once, so it was clearly a text message. Frowning at not having grabbed his cell before coming back to bed, he debated on getting up to grab it. She looked so comfortable and was sleeping deeply by the looks of it. He looked to his nightstand and saw it was just past 0730. Francis was definitely waiting to call at a more appropriate time. So who was texting him?

Letting out a sigh he figured he would need to check it. It could be any number of people. He moved slowly, careful not to wake her, and slid out from under her. She snuggled down into his pillow and he reached under it to move the pistol. He placed it on the nightstand silently and moved over to his dresser. Taking his phone out from under his jacket he saw he had several messages, ones he probably got when he was focused on Kate. The battery was also flashing, meaning it was close to dying.

He looked back at the sleeping female. Her hair fanned out over his pillow where her face was buried. The green sweater bunched up around her shoulders, her arms having moved to tuck under her head beneath his pillow. She had rolled to her stomach and the move had caused the sheets to tuck down around her thighs. The rounding of her butt clear to see as the sweater was still around her waist. Her panties were white and hugged her so tightly. She was gorgeous to him.

He moved back to her side and pulled the covers up over her and placed a kiss to the crown of her head. He would return once he got his phone charging in the kitchen. He picked up his laptop and carried it with him to the kitchen. He plugged in his laptop on the bar and sat down on the barstool he had used earlier. Seven messages were new on his phone.

'Thank you for taking care of my sis, Ma made it to the morgue alright, tell Katie that I am shooting for Monday or Tuesday for the funeral. – Packie'

'Don't you sleep with my sister you immigrant prick! I will want a full report of what happened when I call at 0900. – Francis'

'Cousin! I made an appointment for you at Perseus in Middle Park East for 1000, and Mallorie wanted to know if your girlfriend needed to go dress shopping. Let me know! – Roman'

'Mallorie said she was going to take your date out shopping next door to where we are getting suits. Don't forget the Rehearsal Dinner is tonight at Jerkov's! – Roman'

'I have gone through the evidence and talked to FIB and IAA, and just know that you managed to kill two very prominent guns for hire for one fucked up organization. So I am glad you managed to take them both out. – Francis'

'Don't let what Francis said earlier get to you, I'm glad you are dating my sis. You two work. – Packie'

The last message was a video file from an unknown number, and it wouldn't play on his phone. _'Strange, maybe the file size is too big? Let me try on the laptop.'_ Getting up from the stool he walked around to one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out his phone cable. Going back to his seat he opened the laptop and logged in. Connecting the phone to the computer a message popped up asking if he wanted to download a video file. His eyes narrowed at the message. Moving the mouse over the message he clicked the download button.

Another screen popped up with a loading bar, the bar filled quickly and disappeared before opening the video file. The screen was black, and a blue triangle play button sat in the middle. Niko looked back toward the bedroom to listen to see if his absence had woken her. He could hear soft snores and knew she was still out. Clicking the volume down to very low he hovered over the play button. Something didn't feel right about the video. But the only way to know what it was, was to play it.

Niko clicked the play button and a very pixelated video began to play. The first image he saw made his stomach drop. It appeared to be a video from a cell phone, and the person holding the phone was standing next to a bed, a very familiar looking bed.

" _Hey now, don't you want to play? We just want to have some fun!"_ The video moved and focused on Kate, who was being held down by the man he had shot. Tears streamed from her eyes and she shook her head rapidly trying to get away from the person's hand that was holding the phone. The hand patted her cheek a couple of times causing both of the men to laugh at her struggles.

" _This guy Niko ain't comin'. It's just you and us!"_ The hand drifted down to her breasts and he tweaked a nipple before slapping the breast hard, making Kate scream at the pain. _"You get her wet yet? I'm waiting for my turn shithead!"_

_“No she’s being a real cock block. Why don’t you give her a taste huh?”_ _The man on top of her roughly cut a piece of her nightshirt away causing a small slice to form on her pale skin. The video moved wildly as the man holding the camera took hold of the cloth. The image going to the floor of the bedroom. The sound of a zipper being undone came next._

_“No please. Don’t do this.”_ _Kate’s voice was panicked and rushed. Rustling could be hear, the image jerking back and forth._

The video ended cutting to black.

Niko sat there starring at the screen. He couldn't move, was afraid to move. How did they have his number? Why was this sent to him? How did they know his name? His insides twisted painfully, and he felt dampness on his face. He lifted his hand and realized he had been silently crying. The beautiful woman who lay in his bed, the one he had just been intimately making out with, had been so cruelly violated. He trembled with the knowledge of how it happened, had just been witness to it. He wiped at his face furiously.

He closed the video file and noticed he had a new email. Opening the webpage, he saw it was from an unknown address. Feeling sick to his stomach he opened it up:

" _I hope you enjoyed the show. My associates never made the rendezvous point, and my prize was missing. I assume you interfered with my plan. I sent the evidence of what happened to your plaything just so you know what I’m capable of. Do not fret, we will meet soon, and I will be sure to get my revenge- on you and the McReary family. See you soon Nikolai Bellic!_ "

Niko reread the message completely lost. He knew he had enemies, and there was no way Jimmy knew this quickly about his betrayal. Now he wondered who wanted the last of the McReary clan dead. He assumed they had made trouble overseas during the conflict with Britain, and they tried to make a name for themselves here in Liberty City. ‘ _Whoever this is, I will kill them.'_ Clicking the forward button, he typed out Francis' email address.

"This is the email I received. I also was sent a video file. I am hesitant to send it because of the content. But have attached it so you know the severity of the situation. I recovered a USB from the man that was on her bed. I will send you those files as well. They had been tracking Kate. And from the looks of it, it has been for months, possibly a year. I do not see myself in any of the photos, but it is unknown how they knew of me. I will be busy today getting fitted for a suit and going to my cousin's rehearsal dinner tonight. I will give you the details when you call later. – NB"

Niko attached the video file to the email as well as the folder that held the pictures of Kate. Francis would be able to get his cybercrime agents working on locating an IP address, and hopefully a location of where it was sent. As soon as he got a location, he was going in guns blazing. No one would be left alive- he would make sure of it. He felt his anger turn cold in his body. Whoever thought they could mess with his girlfriend, was good as dead. He would make them suffer; he would get his revenge for what happened to her. And he would protect her family with his life.

He shut the laptop closed. He still shook with what he had seen, and felt the images burn into his brain. It would forever be in his memory, and he knew why she had the nightmare. She held out for as long as she could. He would make sure the next few days were spent spoiling her. He would take her dress shopping with Mallorie and Roman, and then he would take her to the rehearsal dinner and keep her occupied with tales of Roman's many failed attempts at becoming rich. He would do all this for her… But it was also for him. For now, he feared that when he looked at her, he would see the video play out.

His phone vibrated with another message.

'What the fuck! I will be sending this up the chain, those fuckers will pay Niko. Mark my words! I will talk to you later, get some sleep. – Francis'

Francis was clearly still awake and working hard doing what he could from the law enforcement standpoint. And had read his email. That meant he probably watched the video. Niko scrubbed his hands down his face. This was going to be a long day, but he was looking forward to going to the rehearsal dinner. Which meant he still needed to ask Kate to be his date for the wedding. He felt a small amount of doubt form inside him. Would she say no?

' _No. She wouldn't say no. She had called what we did dates. That would make us a couple, right?'_ He would clarify with her when she woke. He checked the time on his phone and saw he had an hour till Francis would call. He would spend it wrapped in her arms. Needing the comfort as much as she did. The video had rattled him, and he felt off balance. He considered himself a fairly despondent person, someone who could separate the act of violence and committing it. He dealt with depression and knew how to shove everything away. But with her in his life, he was having to come face to face with some of his demons.

He stood up from the stool, leaving his phone charging plugged in to the laptop, and headed back to the bedroom. She was still lying on her stomach with her face pressed into his pillow. He smiled at the peaceful look and goofy grin that was plastered to her face. Lifting the covers, he slid in next to her and lifted her back to his chest. She grumbled at being moved but melted into him once her skin came in contact with his. She let out such a content sigh he felt himself chuckle at her. She was adorable when she slept, and it made him fall just a little further for her.

He knew he had fallen for her. But he had never been _in_ love. He loved his cousin and his mother. He loved being around Kate. He even loved being able to defend himself and take out his enemies. But could he love someone so much that he spent the rest of his life with them? He had thought he knew what love was. But what he was feeling for the woman wrapped around his body was something different. It was like being able to breathe for the first time, and it made him look at the world differently. It was as if she was his whole world. Her eyes would look to him and all he could see was a calm fulfillment. And he _craved_ it.

Kate shifted and turned her head to look up to his face. Her eyes blinked a few times clearing her vision. She smiled when she saw he was awake and looking at her, her eyes brightening when they connected with his own. "If you think any louder you will wake the whole city."

"I was only thinking of you."

"You were?" A breathtaking smile bloomed across her features, making her eyes sparkle with unshed tears.

"Of course. You are all I think about when I am alone with my thoughts." He brought his hand up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear and left his hand there to cup her cheek.

"You are such a softie when you want to be. So tough on the outside, but so gooey on the inside. You make me so happy with your words." She leaned into his hand and felt her heart flutter.

"Only for you. I have a question for you, if you are up for it." He studied her face for signs that she wouldn't want him to ask her something. That she was just happy to let the conversation end where it was.

"Depends, do I get kisses if I don't like the question?" She gave him a teasing smile and scooted up his body so she could lean above him, getting to look down into his eyes. She folded her arms across his chest and played with the few strands of chest hair that rested there. Her leg moving higher between his legs and it brushed against him.

He jolted at the contact and felt his blood heat at her position. He looked up into her playful gaze- if she wanted to play, he was going to play. "And do I get kisses if you like the question?" His hands moved to her hips and drew small circles around her hipbones. Her hair had fallen around his face and it tickled his skin. She smelled like lavender and vanilla.

"Ask and you shall find out." She leaned down and kissed his cheek, then his jaw. "But I am not in the patient mood, better ask quickly." She continued to place kisses along his jaw and to the soft skin that rested just under his ear.

God did she know how to rile him up. He was aroused by just the softness of her kisses to his jaw, and he wanted to roll her under him and kiss her senseless. His mind fogged slightly with the attention she was paying to his skin that he almost forgot what his question was. His hands firmed on her hips and he forced himself to stop from pulling her on top of him. He cleared his throat and prepared himself to ask her his question. She stopped placing light kisses to his jaw and leaned back up to look into his eyes waiting for him to ask his question.

"My cousin is getting married tomorrow, and his rehearsal dinner is tonight. Will you be my date?" He focused on her eyes waiting for her approval or rejection of his request. He held his breath waiting, and his stomach twisted into knots waiting on her reply. Would she up for being out in public so soon?

She was slightly stunned with his question. She had been expecting something completely different, something playful, and not something serious. But why did he feel the need to ask? Were they not _dating_? Perhaps she needed him to clarify what they were to each other. But they had played around with the notion that he would get kisses if she liked the question. And she loved the question. Perhaps something more was in store for such a great question.

She slowly moved her body, making sure she held contact with his. Her leg that rested between his lifted and dragged across his body, her weight shifting with it. She settled herself on top of him, straddling him. Her arms moved to plant her hands to either side of his head, and she lowered herself to lie against him. Being sure to roll herself into him. She had seen this in a movie once and wondered if she could pull it off. Her face lowered toward his and she paused just above his lips. She watched as his eyes darkened and could feel his hands move to the small of her back to rest just above her butt.

"Are we not dating _Niko_?" She moaned his name like she knew he liked. He had responded with eagerness earlier when she had moaned his name, maybe she would get the same response this time.

Niko groaned at her new position and the way she had moaned his name. They didn't have the time to get lost into each other again as Francis would be calling soon. But he would continue to play her game. "Only if you will be my girlfriend." His hands fisted into the bottom of her sweater.

A smile curved the corner of her lips before she closed the distance and planted a sensual kiss to his lips. She moved her lips against his and ran her tongue along his bottom one seeking access. He opened for her giving her what she wanted. Her hands found their way to his arms and she glided them down and back behind her to where his hands rested on her. She left his arms and pulled her sweater up higher on her waist and grabbed his hands again placing them on the bare skin of her back. She moaned into his mouth when his fingers splayed across her skin.

" _Always_." She bit his lip and moaned the word around his flesh. "And you will be my boyfriend?"

"For. As. Long. As. You. Want. Me" He said between kisses. His hands roamed in a small area of her back. Her skin was impossibly soft, and he wouldn't dare to venture up further. He didn't trust himself not to slide his hands around her sides and find the mounds of her chest. Her body slid down his and he could feel the slight dampness of her panties again. She rested herself just above his member, teasing him with the nearness. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he shut them quickly. God he wanted her.

"Then the answer is simply yes."

“The things you do to me.” Niko kissed her again, lighter than before, slowing down the rapid cadence of his heart. They would have time to get lost in each other later. And he was fighting himself to not just pull her down on him and have her grind one out for him. "But as much as I would love to stay here in bed with you all day, we have places to be."

That did cause her to pause and study him. "Why can't we stay in bed all day?" She pouted at him. Had she done something wrong? Was her laying on him not a turn on for him? Her expression dropped and she fought the negative thoughts that wanted to rush to the forefront of her mind.

He smiled at her question, "Did you not agree to be my date tonight and tomorrow? I have a suit fitting in a little over an hour with Roman. He is bringing his fiancé with him, and she wanted to go dress shopping next door with you. And since you are my girlfriend, I figured I'd let you go pick out something new for the rehearsal dinner and wedding." He could see the excitement building in her. "I mean, unless you would prefer to just stay here?" He smirked at her and playfully grabbed for her.

"Where is your suit fitting?" The wheels were turning in her head. She had a few ideas on where they might be going, but she had never had the chance to shop at _the_ Clara Krow Bridal and Boutique. It was a high-end women's suit, dress, and bridal store. And she loved their magazines. But she had never had the money to go shopping there.

"It is at Perseus just down the street in Middle Park East. I am assuming the dress place is right next door." He smiled at the growing one that was blooming across her face.

"I get to shop at Clara Krow?" She had whispered the question in awe. Her heart started to race at the prospect of getting to try on all the fancy dresses and shoes.

"If that is the place next door then yeah. Why?" He was missing something he was sure.

"Oh my God Niko! Thank you thank you thank you!" She squealed and gave him a bone-crushing hug, then practically flew out of the bed. "I have to get ready! This is going to be the best date ever!" She spun around in a small happy dance then disappeared into his bathroom, the door shutting quickly behind her.

He blinked at her rapid disappearance. Then chuckled at her excited squeal he could hear coming from his bathroom. If shopping made her this happy, he would be doing it again soon. He leaned up on his bed and turned the lamp on that rested on the nightstand. The clock blinked 0835, just enough time to slip into the living room and call Francis. He stood from the bed and walked over to his dresser to put his tank top back on. He heard the water turn on in the shower and knew he'd get a few minutes to make his phone call.

Niko walked quickly into the living room toward his phone. He would get the phone call done quietly so she wouldn't have to hear any of it. He could hear her happily humming a tune in the shower, and he wanted to keep her in that happy state for the rest of the day. Picking up the phone he unplugged it from his computer and pulled up Francis' number. The ringing sounded for a few seconds before the line picked up.

" _Deputy Commissioner McReary."_

"Francis its Niko."

" _Good, I'll get right to it. I need to apologize for my actions. You saved my sister. But those men Niko, they are- were, bad news. FIB got back to me on their identities. Ivan Sokolov was the guy you killed in the bathroom and Vova Mikhailov was the guy in her room. According to FIB and IAA they run with a sex trafficking ring out of San Andreas. Most notably their leader is the brother to the Albanian arms dealer that was recently taken down in Vice City. The faction spilt in two afterwards and one of them is operating here in Liberty City. We've been monitoring them closely on a joint investigation with FIB. But Niko, if those guys marked Kate for product then the email doesn't add up."_

"I am thinking the same. Clearly, I interrupted their plans by showing up and killing them. Do you know the name of the Albanian faction leaders?" He didn't like the thought of dealing with the Albanians again, or the ones he had run from in Europe, or that it could possibly be linked to the work he did for Ray Bulgarin. "It's not Ray Bulgarin is it?"

" _Bulgarin? Jesus Niko! Who the hell have you been working for lately? He is a major player in the human trafficking ring and diamonds trade. The guy is no good, and you need to cut ties with him soon. We got a tip about a large shipment of Heroin that is being moved by the Russians, and FIB plans to make that deal fall through. Interpol is working on getting me their notes for the faction that operates around the Adriatic."_

"Uh yeah. I don’t work with him or for him." Niko said under his breath, "So any idea on who we should target? Does your family have any old enemies?" He was starting to worry that Ray had targeted her. Would make sense since he had a hit out on him and his cousin, what would targeting one more person close to him be?

" _Slow down there Niko. I can't sanction a hit on the entire Albanian faction. I'd love to just wipe them off the streets, but we don't know who's in charge or where they run. FIB and IAA got more pull and power than I do. It will have to be their call first. I will keep digging on my end and pass along what I find. But don't just start dropping bodies. It'll make a bigger mess."_ _There was a long pause and a longer sigh, “_ _I’ll talk with Gerry. He might know something…”_

"I don't care if I have to kill a million of them, they are all going to die. And I’m not so sure he will want to talk to you, but if you tell him about Kate, he might be willing to open up." He really didn’t like the idea of someone talking about what happened to her when he wasn’t around. He felt this need to protect her from all sides.

" _I understand. But let's be smart about this. You aren't the only interested party wanting these fuckers dead."_ Francis paused and Niko could hear someone speaking to him in the background. _"So about this rehearsal dinner and wedding tomorrow."_

"Look Francis I can't force Roman to cancel it."

" _No no. We are going to be setting up surveillance at Jerkov's. I'll have UC's set up as wait staff, cooks, guests, and bartenders. I'm not taking the chance of someone poising my little sister or shooting up the place. And we will be setting up a perimeter for the wedding. I am assuming she is going to be with you at both events?"_

"She will. And know that I will be armed. Patrick will also be there armed. Will this be a problem?" Niko paced around in his kitchen. A million things were swirling around in his head. He was going through a list of people he could've pissed off back home, Ray making the top of the list every time, but there was no way he knew of Kate’s relationship to him. He was trying to search for a name, a face, anything to go off of. He needed a target, and he needed to eliminate it quickly. Then there was the unknown of who might want the McReary family dead. He opened the refrigerator and noticed the sparse items he had. He wouldn't have anything to offer her to eat. They would need to stop at the coffee shop before meeting up with Roman and Mallorie.

" _So long as you don't draw notice to it. I will see you tonight at Jerkov's. Treat my sister right Niko, or you'll have more than these Albanian's to worry about."_ The line went dead, and Niko placed his phone down on the counter.

This was going to be difficult. And it was going to be harder to track down who was behind targeting Kate. He also wondered why Francis knew nothing about the attempt on Patrick. He had been attacked at the club. But those two events could have been isolated incidents. Patrick usually spent the night at his Ma's when he had too much to drink and couldn't make it back to his place. So maybe that's why the two men had all three pictures. Patrick had his own enemies and those who wanted him taken out. He would think on it more.

"Hey Niko? Can you hand me my duffle bag? I forgot to grab it." Kate's voice drifted down the hall and he turned to see her head tucked out from behind the door to the bathroom.

"Yeah on my way." Niko walked back in the bedroom and picked up her bag by the dirty clothes hamper. He turned back to her and couldn't stop the smile that worked its way on his face looking at her brilliant one. She looked about ready to start wiggling in her excitement. "You hungry?"

"Starving." She held her hand out for the bag and he placed the handles into her outstretched hand.

"If you hurry, we should be able to stop next door at the coffee shop to get a bite to eat before we need to meet up with my cousin." He leaned forward and pressed his body to the doorframe, getting closer to her face.

"The sounds good to me. Thank you." She kissed his lips and closed the door.

He shook his head and moved back into the bedroom. He would have to shower and dress quickly. It was just before 0900. He fished out a pair of dark jeans from his dresser and tossed them on the bed. He opened another drawer and pulled out a long sleeve white shirt and tossed it back to join the pair of jeans. He held up his jacket and paused. His jacket had two bullet holes in the chest, and he could see one more on the back. It also had bloodstains on the sleeves and inside lining. He wouldn't be able to wear it anymore. Not until he could get it patched and cleaned. He would just have to wear his new black leather jacket till then.

The bathroom door opened, and he turned to look as his girlfriend emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a pair of black soft ankle boots, black leggings and a large loose deep blue turtleneck sweater. The sweater had a pattern of diamonds that went across her chest and along the hem that dropped mid-thigh. She was pulling her hair up into a bun and was securing it with the hair tie she had. She looked up from the floor and smiled brightly at him.

"Do the bruises look bad? I can hide the marks on my neck with this turtleneck, but I don't have any makeup to cover the bruise on my face." She looked nervous and timid. "I don't want people to think you did this to me."

He could see the deep purple that graced her right cheek. It looked painful, but she had smiled and hadn't flinched when he had touched it earlier. "I won't lie, it looks painful. Did I hurt you when I touched it earlier?"

"No, it just feels sore, but it looks awful." She looked away from him and toward the bed. She didn't like having it on her face. It was a constant reminder every time she saw her reflection in the mirror.

"It doesn't take away from your beauty if that is what you are really worried about." He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I just don't want anyone to think you hit me while we are out in public. You would never do such a thing." She looked up into his eyes and was generally concerned with what she had said. She didn't want their first outing, well not first, but this felt like a first to her, to be met with scorn from those they passed. She was proud to be at his side.

"It matters not what others think or believe. So long as you know I would never lay my hands on you in violence that is all that matters to me." He kissed her forehead and smiled gently at her. It touched him that she was worried people would look down on him for the bruise on her face. But he had been looked down upon for most of his life. He was used to the scorn of others. "How is the bite mark? Do you need me to redress it?"

Her eyes watered with his words and she nodded. "Yeah I took the bandage off to shower. It isn't bleeding anymore, but it looks bad." She grabbed the bottom of her sweater and pulled it up over her head. She stood before him in a simple white bra and her leggings.

His eyes left her face and looked down to the bite mark. He fought hard to keep his eyes trained on only the bite mark. He had frozen when she just pulled her top off like it was nothing. He focused on the wound. It wasn't bleeding but the punctured skin was a shiny red, and the area around it was a deep purple. She was correct that it looked bad, but it would get worse looking before it got better. Moving to the nightstand he pulled out his first aid kit and repeated the process of making a gauze bandage. She had moved with him to watch.

"Where did you learn first aid? You seem to know what you are doing." She watched as he folded the gauze over to make the thick pad, before he added more of the ointment.

"I picked up a few things when I fought in the war. We did not have medics, so we were on our own to see to our wounds." He finished the makeshift bandage and turned toward her to place it upon her wound.

"Will you tell me about it one day? The war and what you went through." She held still as he placed it against her, holding it in place for him so he could grab the tape.

"It is not something I like to talk about. It was a very dark time in my life. Just know that I may have physically survived, but I have suffered for it." He placed a couple of pieces of tape to the side of the gauze to hold it to her. He traced the edges with the tips of his fingers. He did not like thinking about his time in the war. It took its toll on him, and occasionally he would have nightmares about what he had seen and done. His life had been miserable ever since, until he had met Kate.

"I'm sorry Niko. Is there anything I can do?" She had gone still at his touch, letting him see to her care. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to do anything she could to get the far-off haunted look out of his eyes. He was looking at her bandage not meeting her eyes.

"You being with me is the one good thing that has happened in my life. You have done enough for me." He spoke quietly and looked up into her eyes. He would be sure to do everything in his power to keep her at his side. To make her the happiest he could with what he had to offer. "I may not be able to offer you much Kate, but I can promise you I will try my hardest to make you happy."

"I only want you. I do not need anything more." She cupped his face and kissed him. She would be happy with him and whatever that entailed. She was proud to stand next to him and she loved the way she felt when she was with him. The thought of him being a murderer, thief, drug smuggler, or a hooligan like her brothers seemed to no longer bother her. After Derrick’s funeral and seeing the absolute rage and destructive ability he was capable of, she had pulled away. He terrified her. But she was wrong to be scared of him. He proved her wrong the second he shoved her bedroom door opened and directed that rage toward the man on top of her. He wouldn’t be able to harm her. She was confident that he would shield her from anything and everyone if she asked.

He kissed her back and rested his forehead against hers. "I hope it will be enough for you." He placed another kiss to her sweet lips. "I will be quick in the shower, then we can go eat. Roman gets impatient when he is kept waiting for more than a second." He dropped his hand from her bandage and walked to the bed. He picked up his clothes and turned to head into the bathroom.

Kate stepped into his path and placed her hands on his hips. "You _are_ enough. Please don't doubt me." She smiled up at him and hoped he would see the truth behind her words.

"I do not doubt you; I doubt myself." He grabbed her hands and held them, "Now let me get ready so I can feed you." He chuckled when her stomach growled. "Plus, I know you must be excited to go to this Clara Krow." Her eyes lit up with the name of the dress store.

"Okay, but please Niko. You are good to me. Just trust in that fact." She leaned up on her toes and placed a smacking kiss to his lips. He smiled at her before moving into the bathroom.

She watched as the door closed. She felt bad for bringing up the war, but she didn't think it would affect him so. She pulled her top back over her body and headed into the kitchen. She sat on the stool he had been using when he was on his laptop. She picked up his phone and wondered if her brother would be awake still. She wanted to call Packie and let him know she was all right. She didn't think Niko would mind if she used his phone. Hers had been broken in the scuffle when the men had broken into her room.

She searched his contacts looking for her brother's name. Once she found it, she hit the call button.

" _Yo Niko! My sis okay? It's pretty early to be calling. Can't sleep?"_

"Hi Packie. It's me. I am doing okay. How are you doing?"

" _Katie? God is it good to hear your voice. I was so worried about you. I haven't seen you have a panic attack since we were kids. Did you get some sleep?"_

"I managed to get a few hours in. I'm sorry for freaking out on you."

" _Don't be sis. Sooooo? How is staying with my pal Niko?"_ She could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"I swear to God Patrick! You are the absolute worst! I enjoy his company just fine, thank you very much!"

" _Uh huh. And you getting to enjoy the company of his arms last night meant nothing I see!"_ He let out a genuine laugh. He hadn't teased his sister in forever. He had been so rude to her the past couple of years. It was probably from beating up the last so-called boyfriend she had. But he was lame and was trying to make her a conquest. He didn't like the jackass and they had fought over it for weeks till he got his point across. Now though, he would encourage her to chase his friend.

"Oh Packie I did more than enjoy his arms." She teased right back listening to him gasp. Letting her voice take on a slightly seductive tone.

" _That tone outta you is weird. So he got the v-card huh? Damn sis! First you slap Francis then you join the world of sex! Great ain't it?"_ He snorted trying to hold back his laugh. He knew she wouldn't have gone that far. Not yet anyway. And he doubted Niko would've stripped her bare and fucked her the second he got her home. Though if some broad had clung to him the way his sis had Niko, he would've spent hours enjoying the _company._

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Francis, none of your business!" She flushed bright red at what he insinuated. "But if you must know, no. But I do want him. Is that weird?" She usually didn't get personal with her brother, but he was the closest to her in age and she felt closer to him than she did Francis or Gerry. She hadn't spoken to Gerry since he got put back in prison.

" _You askin' me for advice? I'm flattered!"_ He laughed for a second before he considered what she had asked. _"I mean Kate if you like him, it's not strange to want him. He's a good lookin' guy- not that I'm gay or anything. But I've seen the way women look at him, and they look hungry. But if you want my advice, I'd lock him down. And from what I can tell, he's got it bad for you. But that's just my opinion. We don't exactly talk about you when we hang."_

"Thank you Packie. I feel bad for saying we were only friends to him when we hung out. I definitely feel more for him than simply wanting to just be friends. He asked me to be his date for his cousin's wedding and rehearsal dinner. Are you coming to that?" She smiled at what her brother had said.

" _I'm going to try and make it tonight. Gotta try to find some fancy looking clothes though. You know me, I ain't about them button downs!"_ He liked being able to talk to his sister. She was the last one of his family he felt he could talk to, and now with their mother being gone, he would work on building their relationship. He would need her in the coming days once the death of their mom set in.

"Oh don't I know it! Well hopefully I will see you tonight, if not, I will see you tomorrow?" She had hoped to see him again soon. She didn't like the way they had parted earlier. And she wanted him to know she would be okay.

" _Yeah I will be there tomorrow for sure. See you soon sis! Oh! And just let what comes natural happen between you and Niko. Your heart will guide you in the direction it should."_ He felt himself smile; he wouldn't be surprised if the two of them made it for the long haul. He could see it in them.

The phone call ended, and she felt good. They hadn't had a decent conversation in forever. She missed the connection she had with her brother. She pulled the phone away from her ear and saw Niko walk into the living room. The white shirt made him look tan and exotic and she absolutely wanted him. She felt a pull below her navel, and she forced the feeling down. They didn't have time for her to strip him out of his shirt. _'Where did that thought come from?! I really shouldn't let Patrick to get me.'_

"Did someone call while I was in the shower?" He saw the phone in her hand and worried someone had called and said something they shouldn't have to her. She was looking at him differently. Like she was seeing him for the first time.

"Oh! No. I called Patrick. I wanted to let him know I was okay. Is that okay?" She held the phone out for him.

"Of course." He chuckled at her and took the phone putting it in his back pocket. "You about ready? I was just going to grab my jacket, then we can head out."

"Yes! I am really hungry." She felt a small blush rise on her cheeks from the double meaning she had picked up from Patrick. _'Cut it out!'_

He narrowed his eyes at her. Something was definitely up with her. But if she wasn't wanting to talk about it, he wouldn't push. Not yet anyway. He turned away from her and headed back into the bathroom for the closet. _'Patrick probably teased her mercilessly about her being in my lap last night. Knowing him he couldn't wait to bring it up.'_ He opened the closet door and grabbed his black jacket. He shoved his arms into the sleeves and moved back into the bedroom. He picked up his pistol and tucked it in the waistband of his jeans. He prayed he wouldn't need it today, but he would take it anyway. He glanced at the bed and debated bringing the rifle or shotgun. He wouldn't be able to hide them under his clothes and it would alarm Kate if he just carried them around everywhere he went. Deciding against taking his other weapons he walked back to where his girlfriend waited. He smiled at the thought of her being his girlfriend.

She greeted him with a smile, and he returned it. "Ready?"

"Oh yes! I don't think I've met Roman's fiancé. What's her name?" She slid off the bar stool and walked toward the elevator to stand next to him.

Niko reached behind her and grabbed a set of keys off of a hook on the wall. "Her name is Mallorie, and she has a lot of energy. But she is a good person at heart. Don't let her push you into talking about details of anything you don't want her to. She is very skilled at getting into people's minds." He smirked at the memory of meeting her for the first time. "But she keeps Roman on his toes and is good for him." He left the affair out of the conversation. That was not something he wanted to bring up. Especially the fact that he had killed Vlad, and Roman took credit for it.

"She sounds interesting. Will she ask questions about my face?" She reached up and ran her fingers over the bruise.

"I will talk to Roman about not bringing it up. I won't let them make you uncomfortable." The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "I also won't give them details. It's not for me to tell, and all I will say is that something happened and it's off limits." He looked down into her eyes and saw the relief build. He knew she was worried about being in public and the last thing she needed was a million questions thrown at her about her bruise. He was already dreading having to tell Roman to leave it be.

"Thank you. So where are you taking me for breakfast?" She entered the elevator, a lightness to her walk. She was excited, more excited than she had ever been getting to go somewhere with Niko.

He smiled at the way she practically bounced into the elevator. She was putting off such a giddy vibe he couldn't help but chuckle at her. She was pulling things out of him that he had long since forgot how to feel. Joy being one of them.

"There is a coffee shop next door to this place. They have good kolaches. Not what American's deem as a kolache. But a true one. They are usually filled with fruit or cheese. My mother used to make them when I was a kid." He smiled at the memory. He used to fight Roman to be able to get the first one.

"So this is a typical dish from where you came from?" She looked up to him and mildly wondered why he didn't speak more of his mom or home. She had heard bits and pieces. And it didn't sound all that great, but surely he had good memories.

"Kind of. It's not really a Yugoslavian pastry. But it was something Roman and I enjoyed as children and I was glad to see I could get something close to them here in Liberty City." He moved her to his left side, so when he tucked her against him, she could hide her bruise. He would shield her best he could till she was ready to face the world again.

She teared up at his gesture. She knew he was giving her the ability to hide, and she appreciated it. "Which one is your favorite? That way I'll know what to get!" She pressed her bruised cheek against the leather of his jacket clad chest, his arm coming to rest around her shoulders.

He squeezed her shoulder. He had seen the tears come and go. This would be difficult for her, but he would help her get through it. "I tend to like the cheese filled ones. Fruit wasn't always easy to come by in my village. But I have tried the raspberry ones and they are pretty good. But if you are wanting something that'll satisfy a sweet craving, the coffee cake they make is the best. Can't tell you how many times I've gone down there to get a slice."

"Mmm. Coffee cake. So is there more than just pastries? Or is this more of a coffee and small bite kind of place?" The doors dinged and opened to show a rather busy looking lobby. People were walking around getting a newspaper, others were seated on the low backed chairs in front of the TV, and the front desk receptionist was on the phone. There was a dull volume of noise with how everyone talked.

"There are breakfast sandwiches too." Niko paused before stepping off the elevator. The place usually wasn't this busy. And the number of people gathered around the TV was odd.

"It usually this crowded?" Kate shrunk more into his side, wanting to keep everyone from seeing her. These people were all dressed in business clothes and looked to be running late for work.

"Not at all." He was feeling nervous at the amount of people. He recognized some as his neighbors. Having seen them coming and going, but there were a few he didn't recognize.

"Niko! Have you seen the news?! It's just terrible!" The lady at the front desk hollered over the noise to get his attention. She had a thick Hove Beach accent and her voice tended to grate against his ears. She had platinum blond hair and it was always straightened. She had the darkest blue eyes that sat behind fire truck red plastic glasses. She was friendly to everyone and he managed to keep their conversations to a minimum. She had been a heavy flirt, bordering on obsessive and vulgar.

"No, I haven't had the chance. What happened?" He walked closer to the desk, bringing Kate with him. He could feel her tremble against his side, and he rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Some gang war broke out on this ship over in East Hook. Everyone on board is dead. Just terrible. One of the victims was only 16 years old. Just breaks my heart that some kid's life was ended so abruptly." She gave a slight pout and batted her eyelashes at him. "Bunch of drugs on board was recovered though. So that's a good thing." She tapped her lips as if in thought. "Say I didn't see you come in last night!" Her hand dropped down to run along the opening in her low-cut top.

Niko's heart stopped. He was shocked at how quick the news broke of the showdown he had on the Platypus. But it sounded like the news had their information wrong. It most definitely wasn't a gang war. He had murdered every single person on that ship. He figured he'd have a few more hours to be able to dispose of the car. He knew the police would be looking at traffic cameras next.

"We were out late having a good time." Kate spoke up next to him. She had felt him stiffen with the lady's words and wasn't sure what had him so spooked.

"Oh that's nice dear." She had clipped the words. Just now noticing the slight red headed female tucked under his arm. Jealousy bloomed to life on the blond woman's face. She had been flirting with this man for weeks, and now he just comes down from his apartment with a new woman?

"Kate this is Rebecca. She is the receptionist here. Rebecca this is Kate, my _girlfriend_." Niko had snapped out of it with the rude way Rebecca had spoken to Kate. He didn't appreciate the tone and had exaggerated the word girlfriend, so she would get the hint. He was tired of the flirting; it was over the top and bothersome. He looked down at Kate when he made the introductions and gave her an apologetic smile.

She returned the smile and looked back to Rebecca. She could see the way the woman was trying to contain her rage at seeing Niko with her. "Pleasure. But I haven't heard Niko speak of you, are you new here?"

The lady's mouth dropped open in shock. Her hands gripped the edge of her desk and she fought the sneer that wanted to crack her face. She had been in this position for years, and this little girl thought she could brush her off so easily. She was in for a rude awakening.

Niko couldn't help but chuckle at the way Kate had slapped the woman back. She would give anyone a run for their money. He bent down and placed a kiss to the top of her head to show his appreciation. But she was his to protect. "No Kate she isn't new, but I haven't had the need to bring her up till I brought you home. But we should be going, don't want to keep you from your shopping and our date." He smiled at her wicked smirk, "Was good seeing you Rebecca!" He turned them toward the front door and could have sworn he had heard her growl.

"Bye Niko dear! See you soon!" Ugh. She would have to up her game. She hadn't seen any ring on her finger. So he wasn't completely tied down. He would come to his senses soon. She glared daggers at the back of the reddish brown hair. There was no comparison in her eyes.

Niko reached the front door and Tom, the doorman, held it open for them. "Niko! Good to see you sir! And who is this lovely woman on your arm?" Tom had almost bounced in his excitement to see his tenant with a beautiful woman.

"Good Morning Tom, this is my girlfriend Kate. I'm taking her out shopping today, so I might have the items brought back by here at some point. Would you keep an eye out for them?" If the place she was shopping at was anything like Perseus, he could have them drop off the dresses to his apartment. His car wouldn't have the space to hold everything.

"What's the name of the store?" Tom couldn't help but smile at the woman under his arm. She was a beautifully shy female and he couldn't image how Niko got her to open up. She wouldn't even make eye contact.

"I'll have a couple of suits dropped off from Perseus, and there should be some dresses from Clara Krow." Niko nodded at Tom and shifted his arm to Kate's waist. Her hand came up to cross her body and lay on top of his. He could tell she was nervous.

"Ah good choice sir. Won't find finer dresses anywhere else! I'll be sure to take them up to your apartment." He winked at Niko and tried to smile for his girlfriend. He really was happy for his friend. He hadn't seen him bring anyone home before and it lifted his heart to see someone with him.

"See you around Tom." Niko guided her away from the building and started heading in the direction of the coffee shop. He was starting to feel hungry, and he was sure she was too.

"He seemed nice. Is he the normal doorman?" She looked back over her shoulder and saw him wave to her before opening the door for another patron.

"Yeah for as long as I've been living there. He has the tendency to ask too many questions for my liking." Niko watched the people who were walking down the street. He made sure to make eye contact with as many as he could to make sure none of them reacted. He would be more diligent now in checking his surroundings. He had someone to protect besides himself now.

"Rebecca seemed less than impressed." She snorted at the thought of the overly done up woman that sat at the reception desk. Who wore such revealing outfits to work?

"She had been trying to catch my notice since I moved in. I clearly wasn't interested." He rubbed his thumb against her waist. "I already had my eyes set on someone else."

She blushed at his words. It surprised her every time he would say the sweetest things. "Really?" She looked up to this face, wanting to see him confirm his words.

He turned down to her and kissed her lips before going back to watching the street. "Yes, I was trying to date you when I moved to this place, I had eyes only for you." He approached the coffee shop doors and pulled it open for her.

She smiled at him before stepping inside. The place was small, quaint, and smelled amazing. Comfy chairs and small tables were placed sporadically around the place, giving it a very laid back feel. The window seat caught her attention and she felt a pull to go sit in it. It was a cushioned bench with large throw pillows, there was a thin oval table that sat in front of it and it looked so cozy. The place was fairly vacant, as they had come in after the early morning rush. Most people would be at work at this hour, and she was thankful for the quietness of the place. It relaxed her tense muscles.

"Go grab a seat and I will get us something to eat. Coffee okay? Or do you prefer tea?" He could see the awe on her face. He had felt the same way the first time he had come in. The place had a very bohemian atmosphere and he found himself coming here in the early hours of the day before the rest of the city got moving around. It was his peaceful place. And the elder woman who made all the food in the back spoke many languages. One just happened to be Serbian.

"Coffee, Irish cream." She gave him a smile before walking over to the bench seat. She couldn't wait to see if it was as soft as it looked.

Niko approached the counter and smiled at the way the older woman beamed at him. Her hair was pulled back and hidden by a kerchief. She had wrinkles on top of wrinkles and was the sweetest person. She reminded him of the few memories he had of his own grandmother.

" _Oh my little child! You have brought a friend with you! How wonderful_!" She spoke to him in his native tongue, wanting to avoid embarrassing him in front of what she assumed was his girlfriend. The old woman had spotted him coming inside and immediately saw the way he doted around her. It brightened her heart to see him look so happy.

" _You kill me granny. She is my girlfriend and I wanted to show her a taste of home before our date. I'll take two coffees, you know how I like mine. She wants Irish cream if you have it. You got anything special today?_ " He answered her in his home language. It was always refreshing to hear someone else speak it to him kindly. He had been called many derogative names in Russian and Serbian lately, it was nice to hear it come from a kind heart. He leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. He had a soft spot for this woman and loved to tease her.

" _Oh hush! I have many things that are special. But what are you wanting to give to your lovely companion? I have made fresh krofne this morning. I can heat a couple of those up. And I also have some strudel baking. It should be done soon."_ She glanced around her favorite customer to the female who had taken up the window seat. She had grabbed the throw blanket and had draped it over her legs. " _She is lovely little one. But if you're the one who hurt her, I will have you baking in my oven!"_ She had seen the dark bruise on her face.

" _Easy there. She was attacked last night. I managed to stop it from being much worse, but she is suffering. I wanted to give her a good day. She is becoming my everything._ " He smiled with his words and looked over to where she sat. She was flipping through the photobooks that were in the cubby holes of the bench, pulling one out and placing it in her lap to look through.

" _Poor thing, she must be so scared. I can tell she has found her way into your heart. She is a special person. Take care of her, and she will keep you blessed the rest of your life. Let this old one make up a nice tray of specialties, and some traditional breakfast foods, and I'll bring it out to you. Don't worry about paying. This is my treat. And I expect to see her often. It would give this old one something to fret over."_ She smiled at her friend that she considered her child at times. He reminded her of home, and she was glad to have glimpses of it through him. She hurried back into the kitchen as quickly as her old bones would carry her.

Niko watched her disappear into the kitchen, and stuffed a few large bills into the tip jar, then made his way to where Kate sat looking in a book. She had pulled a national geographic book out of the Adriatic and Aegean Sea. She was turning the pages slowly, running her fingers over the glossy pages in fascination.

"You trying to see my home?" Niko sat down next to her and looked at what had caught her attention.

"It is very beautiful. At least, from what this book shows, there is an abundance of natural beauty." She looked up from the page she was on to glance at him.

"There is a bunch of beautiful spots, but what they don't show you is the poverty, war riddled areas, and how the government treats its people." Niko saw the waterfall she was looking at and smiled sadly at the book. His homeland was beautiful, but there was more danger there than there was here. One day he hoped to be able to return, and she would come with him. But until it was deemed safe for him, he would stay away.

"No different than here. There are beautiful places, but there is danger. I was blind to that danger." She traced the waterfall before putting the book back under the bench. She had been mesmerized by the photos and was going to ask him to take her there one day. But he didn't look happy about seeing the book.

"There will be no more danger for you. I will make sure of that." Niko slid his hand under hers and laced their fingers together.

"I trust you Niko. There isn't anyone else I feel safe with." She leaned against his shoulder. "When you came through my bedroom door, I knew it was you. Even before I recognized you, I knew. No one else would've come for me." She looked around the small coffee shop trying to keep herself from crying. But she had been praying for him to save her. When they had pinned her to the bed, she had called out for him. They had laughed at her saying no one would come.

"Why I felt the need to drive down Savannah Avenue that night, I couldn't tell you. But I am glad I did. I could've lost you." He had gone quiet. He would count his blessings for taking that fateful turn down her street. He squeezed her hand gently, needing the contact.

"I am so glad you were there. It's silly, but if it hadn't have happened, I wouldn't be here with you now, sitting in this lovely coffee shop." She smiled at him and wiped away the one tear she allowed to fall. She hated what she had been through, but she was thankful to be with him now. She was feeling stupid for keeping him at arm's length for so long. If he was this wonderful to her now, what would he have been like before?

"And for that I am grateful." He lifted their hands and kissed her knuckles. "The woman who owns this shop is very kind, and I'm sure if you were to befriend her, she would tell you many stories of where we came from. She loves telling stories." He smiled at her and changed the subject. He wasn't wanting to go down that road just yet. He would need to sort out his feelings more in order to tell her what she wanted to hear from him. He had felt himself wanting to jump off the deep end with her but was hesitant to jump. He was worried that he would drag her into the darkness that hung on him, and she was too pure to be part of his world.

"Ah Niko is right my little one! I have many stories I could tell you. But for now, let's just start with names, shall we?" The older woman had walked over with a tray that held two steaming cups of coffee, and a couple of krofne, a Serbian donut. She had also brought a plate of fresh fruit, a plate of bacon and hard boiled eggs, and a plate of pancakes. A small jar of syrup sat balanced on the edge. She placed the tray down on the table and looked at the beautiful woman that held Niko's hand.

"Oh! Wow what a spread! My name is Katie, but you can call me Kate if you'd like." Kate had held out her hand to shake the older woman's, "And your name?" She could tell she was going to enjoy getting to know this woman. Her eyes held a wealth of knowledge and she had slapped Niko's hands away from the food when he went to grab a blackberry off the plate. Causing him to grumble at the reprimand.

"Niko! Manners. My name is Galina, but this young one calls me babulya. And when he's annoyed with me, he calls me baba." She smiled at the young woman taking her hand in hers and gave a stern look to Niko who was rubbing at his hand, "And he knows better than to start eating before guests do. I swear you have forgotten your manners."

Niko stuck his tongue out at her and then laughed. "Eh baba I haven't forgotten any of my manners. You were just taking too long to talk." He teased her and ducked when she swatted playfully at him again. Kate had giggled at their interactions loving the way they treated one another.

"Oh you! See if I don't poison your food!" She huffed at him and turned back to the female that was grinning from ear to ear. "How can you stand to be around him?" She smiled as she asked the question and winked at her.

"He has his uses." Kate shrugged and busted out laughing with Galina when he gave her such a look of mock horror.

"I will go get napkins and silverware. Since I am just only so useful." He chuckled and got up from the bench and headed over to the shelves that held napkin wrapped silverware. He had looked back over his shoulder to smile at his girlfriend to let her know he wasn't really bothered by her teasing. He pulled out his cell phone and typed out a quick message to Brucie.

'Need a vehicle pick up and detail. Corner of Albany Ave and Pyrite Street, Middle Park East. Emergency level. Black comet, keys are in the ignition. – NB'

He hoped he would be able to get to the vehicle quickly. He didn't want to have to explain to Kate just yet why that wasn't his vehicle. His phone dinged and Brucie replied.

'No prob! Nice on the vehicle. Damage? – Brucie'

'None, just needs to be wiped and plates switched. And done quickly. – NB'

'On it bro! I'll have one of the guys be there within the hour. Thanks! – Brucie'

He put his phone into his jacket pocket and grabbed two of the cloth wrapped silverware bundles. He turned to see Kate laughing uncontrollably at something Galina had said. He smiled at seeing her so at ease. She needed the distraction and he hoped she would be thoroughly preoccupied the rest of the day. Walking back over, he plopped down next to her, and placed a kiss to her cheek. "She's not filling your head with tall stories about me, is she?"

Kate hiccupped from laughing too hard and blushed at her slip up. "She told me about how serious you used to be when you first started coming here." She giggled again, "How you were so suspicious." Kate bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. But she could just imagine how quiet he had been and how he would question Galina's intentions.

"He was such a serious young man. But he grew on me." She smiled softly at her surrogate child. "And now he has brought me someone else to dote over!" She smiled back at Kate and watched as she blushed further. "Now eat up! Niko tells me he is taking you out on a date!" She clapped her hands together and moved back toward the kitchen, "I'll bring out the strudel once it's done baking."

"She is wonderful Niko." Kate smiled before picking up a krofne, "What is this? It smells amazing!" She sniffed at it before taking a bite, "And it's delicious!"

"They are like donuts, but better in my opinion. It's something I would crave from time to time while I was away from home for an extended period of time." He grabbed the other one and dug in. He loved going to this coffee shop, it was like all the good memories he had from home were kept in this one place.

"Well they will be my new favorite if we keep coming here. I will definitely want to come back to visit with Galina. She is hilarious." Kate finished her krofne and picked up a piece of bacon. "You will bring me back here right?" She looked over to Niko and giggled, he had powdered sugar on his chin and lips. He had pretty much devoured his Serbian donut. "Let me get that for you." She leaned over and licked her thumb and wiped at the spot on his chin. She hesitated before closing the distance and licking the sugar from his lips.

He placed a kiss to her and leaned back. He would've done more, but he wasn't sure how she would feel with the level of pda he wanted to go to. She had always walked with space between them and never sat next to him when they ate. Preferring to see him when they talked. But here she was seated next to him, their knees touching, and she had licked his lips. He gave her a small smile before pulling her hand that held the bacon up to his mouth and took a bite of the crispy bacon.

"Better eat all of that before I finish it for you." He smirked at her and licked his lips.

"Well I could always fill my appetite with something else." She returned the smirk before popping the rest of the bacon strip into her mouth.

His eyes darkened with her words and he reached for a hardboiled egg. "Such words for someone so shy."

"You bring it out of me Niko. There is just something about you that makes me want to taste what you have to offer."

"And I will offer you the entire feast tonight if you are still hungry." His smile made her knees weak and a tightness to take hold of her womb. She clenched her legs together trying to calm the quiver that wanted to manifest itself.

"And if I finish and am still hungry? Will I be able to get dessert?" She licked her suddenly dry lips.

"The most delectable dessert imaginable." His hand landed on her knee, and he leaned down to her ear, "But only if you finish dinner." He felt her tremble beneath his hand. Tonight if she wanted him, he would give her everything she wanted. He would take her out to eat at Jerkov's for Roman and Mallorie's rehearsal dinner, and then he would take her back to his place for dessert.

"I will be sure to save room for dessert, but will you be up for the challenge?" She popped a piece of pineapple into her mouth.

"You are a challenge I will take on every day till my dying breath. Now eat your breakfast. I wish to spoil you." Niko kissed the side of her neck and lightly nibbled on her ear lobe.

"Spoil me? You already do Niko." She smiled at him before turning back to the breakfast spread. She lifted her cup of coffee to her lips and took a small sip.

"I doubt you have been spoiled the way I want to spoil you. But I am looking forward to you shopping with Mallorie. The way you jumped out of the bed this morning makes me think you are going to be touching your way through the whole store." He snorted at the image he had conjured of her running through all the racks of dresses with Mallorie.

"I won't be that bad! What color tie or shirt are you wearing tonight? So I can somewhat match." She was trying to think of colors she could narrow in on.

Niko finished the egg and grabbed a piece of bacon. "Don't know yet. Was hoping you could help me choose."

She looked thoughtful for a moment before she shook her head. "I will have to see what they have. I feel like you can pull off red very well." She picked up her fork and poured some of the syrup on the pancakes. She took a bite and closed her eyes at the wonderful taste. "She is an amazing chef."

"I like to think so little one." Galina placed a small plate of strudel on the table. "This was my daughter's favorite. God rest her soul." She smiled sadly at the thought but shook it off. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

"The strudel is always good babulya. Thank you." Niko had recognized the look of loss, and knew she held a deep pain over her daughter being gone.

"Yes thank you! The food is amazing, and you got my coffee just right." Kate smiled sadly seeing the hurt flash across the woman who was slowly winning her over. She took another sip of her coffee.

"You both are welcome. And please do come by again soon. I will enjoy getting to know you Katie. Niko take care of this one, she is very special to be able to put up with you." She laughed softly and patted both of their cheeks. "Such young lives, you will both have a bright future together."

Kate blushed under the gaze of Galina. Niko smiled at the attention and missed his mother in moments like this. Maybe when he became a citizen he would be able to bring her here. Galina walked back to the counter as new customers walked in.

"She really is amazing Niko. Thank you for bringing me here." Kate watched as she charmed another couple with all the pastries in the glass display case.

"Yeah she reminds me of my mother at times, but she brings out the better memories of home." He took a bite of the piping hot strudel. He had stayed in the coffee shop for longer than he would need to at random times during the day to get a feel for what type of people dined there. He was checking for anything that would put Galina in trouble. But she had made more friends than he could count and remembered everyone's name that came in more than twice. She would be safe, and Niko could rest easy knowing the older woman was well liked.

"Is your mother still overseas?" Kate continued to drink her coffee. It was warming her up and making her relax. The wind outside had been rather cold, and she assumed it would only get colder as the day went on.

"Yes she is. Not in the same village as I grew up in. Milica is her name, and she is happy I have joined Roman here. She regrets the environment Roman and I grew up in. I tried to convince her to move here with me, but after I arrived, I didn't think it would be such a good idea. Roman hadn't exactly been forthcoming in the truth of how he lived his life." Niko finished his coffee and started eating the pancakes Kate was working on. "But maybe she can come to visit soon. And preferably by airplane. I was at sea for seven months before I got to Liberty City. She wouldn't be comfortable in such conditions."

"Seven months?! Niko! That's horrible!" She had looked at him horrified at the condition he travelled in.

"Eh it wasn't all bad. Made some friends along the way. We had a lot of stops before finally docking at Liberty City." He shrugged not really caring about how he had arrived. It had felt like an eternity, but now that he was here, he didn't plan on getting back on a boat anytime soon, especially after last night.

"Wow. Well I'm glad you made it safely?" She had lifted her eyebrow at the question. She was beginning to understand he had gone through many hardships to get here.

"Mostly. There was a bad storm over the Atlantic. Thought we could've capsized." Again he shrugged it off as no big deal. Finished with his share of the pancakes he took another few bites of the strudel. "But here I am, living the so called American Dream."

"You know there really isn't such a thing. I used to think there was. And I had grown up in a nice home, with a dysfunctional family, and thought we had truly made it here. But I was kept from most of what was happening. I figured out that my father was rather shady. He committed suicide eight years ago." She shook her head. Her family had been heavily involved with organized crime. At least that's what Patrick had told her one night in a drunken stupor.

"They probably didn't tell you to keep you safe." Niko could sympathize in a way. He had kept most of what he did from his mother, not wanting her to worry about what he got involved in.

"Probably. But now that I know, it's been easier to accept some of the things I didn't understand. My father did some really bad things to my family, to other people I'm sure. But now that he's gone, I felt like we could've lived a normal life. But the normalcy never showed up. And things continued on the way they had been. When I was 18 I had the choice to go to college in Vice City. I had almost accepted, but then mom came down sick. So I decided she would need me more since my brothers were so spread out." She finished the pancakes and downed the rest of her coffee. She was telling him things that she hadn't told anyone else. It was just so easy to talk to him.

"We have both had hardships, but it has made us stronger, yes?" Niko had listened to her speak, took all she had to say in. He knew she was opening up to him. More than she had been on previous dates.

"Yeah I think it has." She smiled at him, "But if you're about done, I'd like to go play dress up." She laughed when he frowned at her.

"I am not a doll." He chuckled at her laugh. "I'll go put the tray up and then we can go." He started to stack the empty plates on the tray and watched as a few other people walked into the shop.

"Okay, I'm going to go say bye to Galina." She kissed his cheek and headed for the counter.

Niko stood and took the plates over to the wash bin and placed them in the appropriate tubs. He would make Galina's work as easy as he could knowing other patrons wouldn't be as kind. He saw Kate approach the front counter and take Galina's outstretched hands. They were speaking quietly, rapidly, and he wondered just what they were conspiring about.

"Niko is a very sweet man, and he will do everything he can to make you happy. Please take care of him, he reminds me of my son who took his life after the wars. His demons were too great, and he couldn't fight them off anymore. You are so good for him; I haven't seen him smile that much." She held the young woman's hands tightly trying to convey her message.

"Niko saved me last night, and he has been the most caring person I have ever met. I promise to look out for him as he does me. Don't worry too much. He promised to never leave me, and I plan to make him keep that promise." She smiled at her new friend. "Besides, I don't think he likes to disappoint people, and he would never do that to you!"

They both laughed together, and Galina squeezed her hands one last time. "Niko my dear, she is just perfect. I will expect to see you two soon!"

Niko had approached the two women and wrapped his arms around Kate's waist, placing his chin on her shoulder. "I will be sure to bring her back as often as I can. But I get the feeling I am being replaced!" He tisked at her and shook his head in mock disappointment.

" _Never little one. If you love her, keep her. I expect a wedding invitation, and to be the second to know of such things."_ She spoke to Niko quickly in Serbian. And smiled at the slightly confused woman in his arms.

Niko kissed Kate's jawline and grinned at his reminder of home. " _Baba you will get me in trouble one day if she starts to pick up words. But yeah, I'm falling hard. See you around."_ Niko nuzzled into Kate's neck and gave her a quick hug. "Come on Kate, time to go play dress up!" They both laughed at him, and Kate waved one final time to the coffee shop owner.

"So you two think you can just talk about me in another language and I won't know?" She teased him gently as he moved to her side and took her hand.

"Now now, why would I need to speak to her about you if you are right there?" He smirked at her and pulled the door open for her. "If you must know, she threatened to put me in her oven if I make you cry."

They walked out of the coffee shop and headed back to where Niko had parked his orange Infernus. The wind had picked up slightly and had a cold bite to it. The rain had stopped, but it looked like it could pick up again at any moment. He had pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, trying to warm her with his body heat. She snuggled into him and sighed at the way his warm hands spread heat from where they made contact with her.

"Not that I think you could ever make me cry, and I don't mean happy tears, those seem to show up all the time, but you could never hurt me Niko." She wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. They walked the short distance in relative silence, both contemplating the building relationship between them.

Niko knew he would need to get to her level quickly. He was seeing the signs from her that she was ready to make the leap, and he kept hesitating at the edge. He wanted nothing more than to just jump, but he knew until the threats against him, and through him her, were eliminated, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to say those three little words. She deserved that, she deserved to have someone love her unconditionally, and he had too many conditions to worry about. But his work was far from done, and she had specifically said many times she wouldn’t date him while he did what he did. Yet here they were, walking down the streets as a couple. He kept looking at the people who passed him by, checking for weapons and hostile body language. And he figured he would always be this way. He had precious cargo to look after.

Kate was so close to just saying she loved him. She had felt nothing but safe, wanted, and _loved_ since the moment he had pulled her into his strong arms. She had been attracted to him from the moment they locked eyes, but she was warned by Patrick that he wasn't what he seemed at their introduction. But as the weeks went by, Patrick could only talk about how great he was, and how skilled he was at what he did. That had made her worry. That would mean he was like her brothers and was involved in crime. But a small voice in her head kept vehemently denying he was bad. He was well mannered, kind, and looked at her with such compassion. There was no way he was only a cold blooded killer. And she had seen the cold blooded killer when he had shot the one who had violated her.

She knew she should be cautious. She knew she should take it slow, but it was so hard to deny what she was feeling. She was ready to give him her heart and her body, and that scared her. She had made a promise to herself to wait, to be able to give her future husband the gift of her innocence. But Niko had most definitely not waited. And for some reason the thought didn't bother her. He would be experienced and would be able to show her things that only her brother's bragged about. Something had changed for her. Of that she was certain.

She had failed many times at dating in high school, and even a few years after. But once her father had taken his life, and her brothers kept spiraling out of control, she felt like she was the only one who could take care of her mother. She had taken on the burden of worrying constantly about her family, and the stress of it all forced her decision to quit going out. To stop trying all together. In a way, it wasn’t just the promise she made for herself- it was the self-induced isolation. Plus, with how protective Gerry and Packie had been, it was hard to even think about bringing a guy around. So, when Packie had suggested she talk to Niko, it intrigued her to the ends of the world. She looked at the cars they walked by trying to contain her thoughts as they tumbled back and forth over how she would handle a relationship and what was appropriate. But the one thought that kept circling back around- was she willing to forego her notions of waiting for sex and let Niko have all of her, or pull back and wait.

Niko walked up to the car he had received from Florian aka Bernie and Bryce. It had been one hell of a gift, and he loved this car. It was fast, sexy, and powerful. He enjoyed racing down the streets and having people turn to see what had flown by them. It was one of his favorite rewards for doing some dirty work, and he took care of it. Kate stood awe struck next to him, and he saw her turn to look at the black comet that was parked behind.

"Are we not taking your car?" She pointed to the comet that had taken them home hours ago.

"That is a friend's car, this is my car." He gave her a small white lie. It would technically be his friend's car soon, but she didn't need to know that. "I'm going to grab something out of the trunk and then we can be on our way." Niko hit the unlock button on the orange Infernus key fob and it beeped at him. He opened the door for Kate and held her hand as she lowered herself into the sports car. Quickly he ran over to the trunk of the comet and opened it to grab his bullet proof vest. Slamming the trunk shut, he saw Tom wave to him from the front door of his apartment building. He waved back and moved to the front of his car to open its storage compartment. He dropped the vest inside and shut the lid softly. He would be sure to bring it up into the apartment when they got back. He walked to the driver door and lowered himself into his vehicle.

"This is an amazing vehicle Niko. Where did you get such a thing?" She was looking around the interior fascinated by the level of luxury. She ran her fingers over the supple leather of her seat and was exploring the gear shift. Everything screamed high class and she had never been in such a fine vehicle before.

"My friend from home moved here years ago and is well off. I helped him deal with some stalkers, and this was his way of saying thank you. He isn't, how do I say this, society isn't very kind to him. And he was very grateful for my help." Again, he felt bad for somewhat lying, but he couldn't help it. She wouldn't be too happy knowing he had killed more people and kept Florian/Bernie and Bryce's homosexual relationship a secret. It didn't bother him in the slightest that his old friend was gay. He was just glad he had been rewarded for his hard work.

"That's definitely a great way to thank someone! Now why don't you show me just what this car can do!" Kate pulled the seat belt around her and clicked it in place. She was thrilled to be able to sit in such a car and was looking forward to seeing the streets blur by as they sped down the street.

Niko buckled his seat belt and turned to give her a wicked smirk. "You mind holding this?" He pulled the pistol from the waistband of his jeans, "The safety is on, but I'd prefer to not have it dig into my back." She took the gun from him and laid it across her lap, she was getting more used to seeing the pistol and was slowly working her fear of it down.

He turned the car on, and it roared to life. He kept revving the engine, listening to it purr and hum beneath him. Oh he was going to show her just what he could do with a vehicle of this caliber. He checked the traffic to see if he had a window to burn out. If she wanted a thrill ride, he would give her one. As soon as a break in the traffic presented itself he peeled out of the parking spot and turned the wheel, causing the car to spin out the other direction. He punched it forward and changed gears. This was going to be fun.

Kate had let out a joy filled holler. She had been pushed back in her seat and her heart rate skyrocketed. It was like falling over the first big hill on a rollercoaster. The thrill tripped down her spine and her stomach quivered with queasiness. She watched as the buildings flew by her window and couldn't stop the smile that broke across her face.

Niko pushed the car to its limit, passing people, and weaving in and out of traffic. He felt free being able to drive this way, and her laughter lifted his heart. He didn't have a far drive, but he would make a quick trip up along the coast before turning back down toward the clothing stores. He would've gone longer but they had about ten minutes before meeting his cousin. He drifted through an intersection and powered out of it heading back south. She had squealed out her excitement with the way the car seemed to just float over the pavement. People had turned their heads to look at the vehicle as it raced by, wanting to catch a glimpse at the powerful car.

Niko slowed down as he entered back into Middle Park. He knew cops loved to target for speeding in the area and the last thing he needed was to get pulled over after showing off for Kate. He kept scanning the side streets for cops and unmarked vehicles. He chuckled when Kate continued to giggle and smile like she had just gotten off the roller coaster in Funland down in South Broker. _‘Maybe when it gets repaired and fixed up, we could go there…’_

She had kept her laughter up and was beaming. It had been so long that she forgot what it was like to just let loose and enjoy the moment. Even if she usually disapproved of the maniac way of driving people did in the city. She looked over to him as he slowed the vehicle down. He had looked so confident and powerful handling the car the way he did. His eyes had sharpened, and he looked like a predator stalking his prey. She wanted him to turn his eyes her way and stare her down, to look at her with such bold, refined attention. A tightness gripped her, and she crossed her legs trying to lessen the feel of it. Her face flushed as she realized how turned on she was. It was like being a giddy schoolgirl all over again. She cleared her throat trying to quell the thoughts of what they could do in a car in one of the alleyways that littered the main street in Middle Park.

Niko turned to look at her alarmed when she made a disgruntled sound, thinking he had done something wrong. He noticed the flushed expression, the way her hands had fisted in the hem of her turtleneck sweater around the pistol in her lap, and how tightly her legs were pressed together. Coming up on a red light, he stopped the car, and focused more fully on her. She was looking forward in the car and seemed completely lost in thought. Had he maybe pushed the limits of what she deemed fun?

“You okay?”

She jumped at his voice, not realizing they had come to a stop. Her face deepened to a darker shade of red. _‘Good Lord get it together Kate!’_ “Yes sorry. I just- I was just thinking that’s all.” Hesitantly she turned ever so slightly to look at his face. He genuinely looked concerned, even if his eyes still held that slightly predatory gleam in them. _‘Oh those eyes never shut up do they? Always so expressive…’_

“You sure?” He scanned her face looking for signs of distress. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and lightly bit it. He could see the wild beat of her heart from her pulse point in her neck, the way her eyes dilated slightly, and the constant shifting of her legs made him come to one glaringly obvious conclusion. She was turned on. A dangerous smirk broke out across his face. _‘So you do like the thrill of danger every now and then!’_

“Mmm Hmm. Perfectly okay.” She was failing at calming herself down. That wicked smirk on his face caused her legs to weaken, and a heat to start flowing through her blood. It was like stepping into a shower, where the water cascaded down your body causing warmth to spread in a delicious way over the skin. She licked her dry lips in an attempt to distract herself from the desire that was building up inside. Those eyes were boring into her own, and she felt like just barring her throat to him and letting him do whatever he wished. Then his eyes shifted away from her to look out her passenger side window.

Niko pegged her. He knew exactly what was going through her mind. She was an open book to him now. After being in her personal space, and spending more time consecutively with her, he was picking up on her body language. She used to be such a mystery to him, unpredictable, and a horrible drunk. But on the few occasions where they went out to eat, and he got her talking, he knew there was more to her than the walls she had placed around herself. Now she was free of the cage she placed herself in, and he was enjoying getting to see the many mannerisms she had. He loved her eyes the most. They betrayed her more than she thought. He knew how to decipher them. Then something caught his attention outside her window.

They were at a stop light, their light being red, and the cross traffic being green. He was sure he understood the laws of traffic now, having been here for several months, so why was this guy on a motorcycle just sitting at the intersection starring at his vehicle? The visor of the helmet was blacked out, and the person wore a solid black leather jacket. Something was making him feel uneasy. He couldn’t see any weapons on him from this angle, but the person was unmoving. Vehicles kept swerving around him to get through the intersection.

“Kate if I tell you to duck, do not hesitate.” He kept his eyes trained on the person on the motorcycle, “And do not look, but I do not like the way this guy is looking at us. Something is off.” His voice had taken on an authoritative tone.

“Niko, you’re scaring me.” Everything in her wanted to turn and look at what had got him concerned.

“Do not move.” Niko slowly reached over to her lap and gripped his pistol but leaned forward to press a light kiss her to her lips, masking his movements so the person couldn’t tell he had gone for a gun. She was timid in kissing him back.

The light turned yellow and the person on the bike slowly inched forward to place himself in front of their vehicle. Niko watched the rider move in front of them and couldn’t make out any identifying features. Gloves on the hands, long pants, riding boots, broad chest, barrel of arms, and a compact smg on his hip. The person revved the bike a couple of times and gave them a two finger salute off the side of the helmet, before racing off down the street.

The whole thing screamed danger to Niko. Nothing about it was normal, and he really wanted to chase after and beat them for answers. But Kate had placed her hands over his on the pistol and he could feel the shaking. He released the pistol and turned his palm up to allow her to hold his hand.

“Niko, who was that?” Her voice was quiet, and it shook with her fear.

“I do not know. But I did not like the way he watched us.” The car revved and Niko started to move forward with the green light. They fell into silence, and it felt heavy to him. He would glance at her from time to time as he made the short drive to Perseus. She had fixated her gaze to her window. He felt like he needed to say something or do something to help her understand she wasn’t in danger. “Do not worry too much, they could have just been admiring the car.” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true. It was too typical of a drive by hitman, an _Albanian_ hitman.

“But you don’t believe that do you?” Kate turned away from the window to look at him. He had stirred her fear to life and even she had seen the gun on the person. She was going to have to work on not letting the sight of one scare her anymore. She was dating a gun for hire after all.

“You are getting to know me too well. Yes, I do not think they were just checking out the car. It was a moded bike, he had on a bullet proof vest, and the gun he had, had another magazine tapped to it. Would make changing it out quicker. But with those weapons, and being on a moving vehicle, hitting a target would be harder. Too much inaccuracy.” He had gone through everything he saw and was calculating what would have been the best move to take them out.

“You really do know your stuff, huh?” She was quiet, too quiet.

“You tend to learn how to survive when an entire country wants you dead simply because you exist.” His tone was cold.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to judge or sound disappointed. It’s just the first time I’m getting to see this side of you more closely. The funeral was a shock, and this morning was a blessing, it’s just sometimes hard to differentiate you from the violence. You’ve been so careful to avoid it around me. Which I’m thankful for. But if this relationship is going to last, I’m going to need to get used to this whole other side of you.” She smiled briefly, “But please know. I will never _ever_ want you to give up this level of awareness. I can’t believe I’m about to say this. But Niko. Because of how you are, and what you’ve been through, you saved me. And for that I will be forever grateful.” She reached over and placed her hand on his leg.

“I can’t change what has been ingrained into me, but I can stop taking jobs and get to a different level of normal. I will always be vigilant. I have too much I care for to not be on the look out for trouble.” He placed his hand on top of hers and gave it a light squeeze. “But Kate, if it gets to be too much or something isn’t right, you will have to tell me. I’m not the best at separating my personal life from my professional one.”

“I will. I promise. Just. Don’t give up on me. Okay?”

“Never.” He lifted her hand and kissed the palm of her hand. He pulled up behind Roman's Cognoscenti. He studied her face when she turned toward him. "You have my word. Afterall, I don’t like disappointing people.” He smirked as the blush rose on her face once more. He had heard what she said to Galina.

“Oh you!” She playfully swatted at him, feeling some of the unease leaving her body. She would ask him later how to be more aware of her surroundings. She would need to start being more mindful of her environment. She noticed two people who were standing out in the cold. One of them waving frantically at them. “I do believe you need to introduce me to your cousin and his fiancé before they open the car door and pull us out." She giggled at the way Roman was waving constantly toward them, almost bouncing in his excitement.

Niko eyed his cousin and future cousin-in-law. They both stood outside the storefront in heavy coats trying to stay warm. Roman had dressed up, or as dressed up as he ever got. Mallorie had a button down peacoat on and was rubbing her hands together trying to keep them warm in the cold wind.

"Yeah alright. Let me talk to them first, and then I will come get the door for you, okay?" He hoped he would be able to get them to understand to not bother Kate about her bruise. The last thing he wanted to have happen was for them to hound her and make her even more uncomfortable than she already was. He saw her nod before he took his pistol from her and tucked it down in its usual spot, then opened his door and stepped out into the windy street.

"Cousin! What took you so long?" Roman had started to approach his cousin then stopped at the way he was looking at him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes and no, look Roman, I am going to ask you this once, please do not stare at my girlfriend's face. Something happened last night to her, and I don't need you bothering her about it. Will you tell Mallorie for me? I am going to go get her." Niko stared into his cousin's eyes, hoping he understood what he was getting at.

"Is she okay? Are you okay?" Roman tried to look around his cousin to the orange Infernus to see the woman that Niko had called girlfriend. His cousin had sounded stern, but he could tell he was concerned. Whatever had happened was enough to warrant such a warning.

"She will be, but I need you to do this for me." He would not jeopardize her happiness today.

"Of course cousin! We will wait for you inside. It is too cold outside to be waiting around." Roman nodded to Niko and headed back toward his fiancé. He would pass along his message. But he was curious to know what had happened for Niko to ask them to not stare at her face. _'Hopefully nothing too bad. No one deserves to be scarred for life.'_

Niko watched them walk inside the store, Roman talking into Mallorie's ear, hopefully explaining to leave it alone. He rushed over to the passenger side door and opened it for her. Her hand extended out to him and he took it gently, helping her to stand up. The wind whipped down the street and she shuddered at the coldness. Niko looked up and down the street before pulling his pistol out of his waistband and tucked it into a large built-in pocket of his leather jacket. "Will you be alright if I give you my jacket? It has the pistol in it."

"Yes please. I don't know where this wind came from, or why the temperature dropped so drastically. They didn't say the cold front would move in till after the weekend." She had almost wrapped her arms around him under his jacket before he offered it to her. The heavy jacket landed around her shoulders and shut out the harsh wind that was biting through her sweater.

He zipped it closed around her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He would be okay in the cold, he was used to the frigid winters of Eastern Europe. "I told Roman not to say anything, and he would tell Mallorie. Are you going to be okay? I can take you back to my place; this is not worth putting you through something you don't want to go through." He was starting to get concerned about her. She had been doing perfect right up till the incident with the motorcycle. It was bothering him more and more as he thought about it.

"Niko. You have done everything you can to make this easy on me. I know not everything will go great. I am prepared for the stares, and I'm prepared to answer what I can if I feel like it. I will seek you out if it gets to be too much. But I am definitely looking forward to seeing you in a suit!" She brightened at the idea. She had only ever seen him in 'low-end' clothing and was excited to see him all done up. She would shove whatever uncertainty aside. She could do this.

"If you are sure." He cupped her face and kissed her lightly, "You ready to be introduced to my cousin and his fiancé?" He held out his arm for her to take. He would walk in with her on his arm and be proud to show her off to his growing family. He felt pride swell in his chest with the way she squared her shoulders. Her arm linked through his and she nodded for him to go inside.

Niko opened the door to Perseus and guided her inside the warm interior. Roman and Mallorie stood off to the side of the entrance and were speaking to a man in a fine suit. He locked eyes with Kate and saw her determined look. She would be okay for the time being. He would just keep an extra close eye on her.

"Niko! Cousin! This is Steve, and he is going to be taking our measurements today. But first! Introduce me to your lovely girlfriend!" Roman had turned to look over his shoulder when they walked in. He immediately noticed the large purple bruise on her cheek and briefly thought poorly of his cousin. But he knew deep down Niko would never hit a woman, not unless he was attacked first, and it was in self-defense. But she had beautiful reddish brown hair, bright blue-green eyes, and soft looking pale skin. She was bundled in Niko's jacket he had seen on him and had a small flush across her cheeks.

Niko led her over to the couple by Steve. He had seen the widening of his cousin's eyes before he schooled his features. He was thankful for his cousin's quick thinking. Mallorie had removed her coat and had on a simple red long sleeved shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her hair was down and was slightly wavy. Roman had on a black button down that had the top few buttons undone. It was tucked into a pair of gray slacks that looked slightly wrinkled.

"Roman, Mallorie, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend Kate McReary." He pulled her up next to his side and held her waist.

"Ah Niko you've outdone yourself this time!" Mallorie was smiling from ear to ear. She held her hands out for the woman who was shyly tucked into Niko's side. She had been warned but knew enough about abusive relationships and violence to know how to spot it. Something bad had happened to her friend's girlfriend, and she was determined to help her have a good time. "My name is Mallorie, and I was so glad you decided to join us for shopping today! I hope you don't mind helping me pick out a new dress for tonight's dinner. I just couldn't find anything in my closet!"

Kate looked up to Niko and saw him smile reassuringly to her. She moved out of Niko's arms and took the few steps to give Mallorie a hug. She was beginning to like her and was looking forward to getting some girl time in. "Any time I can get to go shopping is well worth the effort. Now! Tell me what kind of dress you are thinking about getting."

"Oh I have no idea girl! I just want something sexy! Something to get this man ready to rip it off of me!" She returned the hug and walked back over to her fiancé and kissed his cheek. "Kate this is my fiancé and your boyfriend's cousin, Roman." She tugged Roman's arm to get him to shake her hand or react in some way other than stand there and gawk.

"Niko has spoken very highly of you." He looked to Niko for permission to approach his girl. He had noticed the way he stood protectively around her and didn't want to have the well-known Bellic wrath rain down upon him. Seeing the slight nod, he reached out and kissed both of Kate's cheeks in greeting. The way Niko had greeted Mallorie the first time.

"It is so good to finally meet you both, I have only heard bits and pieces from the few times I got Niko talking." She smiled at her boyfriend and saw him shake his head in mock affront.

"Here we go with the stories! This I need to hear!" Roman had placed his hands on Kate's shoulders and laughed at his cousin. Yeah he was going to like getting to know his cousin's girlfriend.

"You two can speak and get measured at the same time, Kate and I are going to go look at ties and pocket squares but call us over when you start to pick out suit colors and patterns." Mallorie looked at Steve making her point known to come get them to choose suits, and then had linked her arm through Kate's and was slowly walking toward one of the long display tables. Kate had looked back toward Niko and gave him a smile. She would be alright with the dark haired Puerto Rican.

"I swear Roman can talk a person's ear off with his stories." She laughed and let go of Kate's arm, "Now tell me sweetie, how did the two of you meet?" She was curious to know seeing as how she had set him up with his last girlfriend. Michelle, well Karen, had been so eager to get to know Niko, and at the time hadn't seemed so weird. But that turned out to be because she was an undercover cop. She had felt bad for getting him set up with Michelle. And was glad to see he hadn't taken the news too hard. She had hoped he would move on and find happiness. He had done so much for her and Roman, and she prayed they would be able to help him in return.

"He is actually friends with my brother, Patrick, and he had stopped by my mother's house to meet up with him. He was unbelievably handsome and after a few weeks of seeing him stop by, I asked Patrick to give him my number." She watched as Mallorie looked through a row of black ties before moving on to a different color. She dropped her eyes to the wide assortment of colors, fabrics, and patterns.

"So you're Packie's sister! I thought I recognized the last name. I'm friends with Elizabeta, who was a friend of your brothers. She got busted for coke possession and is doing like a million years in prison. But that explains how the two of you met. Small world!" Mallorie had thought the last name sounded familiar.

"Uh yeah. My brothers tend to get around." She looked to where Niko and Roman were standing in front of a bunch of mirrors. Two of the store attendants were taking measurements, and another one was writing them down. "How did you and Roman meet?"

"You know, I don't really remember. I was looking for a job and saw his cab business needed a receptionist. We had talked a few times here and there when I started working for him, but really, I didn't start dating him till later. He was such an over the top romantic, and it was hard to absorb it all. But looking back, it was rather adorable how he would dote all over me." She eyed her new friend across the table and wondered how much she knew about Roman and Niko, and just what they were involved in.

"I guess the romantic type runs in the Bellic family. Niko was very quiet at first. But now…" She paused; how much would be okay to speak on? Niko seemed like a very private person.

"It's like you don't know why you waited so long to start dating them right?" Mallorie could see the far off look that crossed Kate's eyes. She understood the feeling. Roman had gone and confronted Vlad, killing him because of her affair. How could she not love someone who went to the ends of the world to have only her? Old school romanticism was a dying art form. And she loved the fact that Roman would do all the cliché things for her. Flowers, random kisses, bringing her lunch, holding doors open. She had been blind to the level of dedication Roman had to offer her.

"Exactly! I was so surprised by his level of care. It's really touching." Kate smiled at Mallorie, at least someone understood what it felt like to wait so long to confirm what she already felt. It shouldn't have taken someone breaking into her house and Niko rescuing her, for her to start truly dating him. It was a small regret that she was working on getting rid of. The past was the past, and she was looking forward to the future he could give her.

"Yeah it can be. Anyway! Have you and Niko had sex?"

The question threw her for a loop. She wasn't used to having someone so casually speak about sex to her, and it caused a blush to rise on her face. "Um. No. But uh. Working on it." She stuttered her words and could feel the mortification building inside her. Her eyes snapped down to the tie she had begun to finger.

"Well you've only been dating him for like a minute. You having problems getting him into the bed?" She had walked around the table to see what tie had caught her friend's attention so adamantly.

"Not exactly. I'm waiting. Well. Kind of. I don't know. It's so complicated now." Kate sighed and glanced to the female who stood beside her.

Mallorie eyed her. "So what changed? Usually you've either made up your mind to wait, or you just want to get the deed done and move on. So which is it?"

"I had wanted to wait. Something bad happened to me. I don't really wanna talk about it. But Niko has been nothing but understanding, and it's so hard to keep my hands to myself. I'm confused. If that makes sense." She traced her finger over the soft satin fabric of the tie that caught her attention.

"I think I follow. You had your mind made up, something happened that waivered that decision, and now since it's changed, there is someone you're willing to try it with?" It didn't take much for her to put two and two together. Roman had said something had happened. Something terrible. And from the bruise she saw on Kate's face, as well as a couple of bruises that peaked out of the turtleneck she wore, she could only assume she had been raped. And now that what she had been waiting to do was taken from her, she had resigned herself to just having sex and moving on.

"Yeah. If there was anyone I'd want to do it with it'd be Niko. But I feel like I'm breaking some promise I made as a 13 year old girl. It's silly." She slumped her shoulders and turned to face her new friend.

"Mm. I don't think it's silly. Just because something is taken, doesn't mean you still can't give. What happened doesn't define you. And you have the right to still wait, if that's what you want to do." She placed her hand on Kate's arm and gave her a small smile trying to find the words to say to comfort her. "Niko would never take something that isn't freely offered to him. But I'm sure he will be more than willing to indulge should you let him." She smirked at the blush that seemed to get redder with her words.

"I need some advice. I am-was- kind of still am a virgin. I don't know how to… you know." She felt warm under the stare of Mallorie's dark brown eyes.

"Say no more!" She let out a giggle and leaned toward her new friend's ear and began to whisper all sorts of ideas that would surely turn the woman beet red from her ears all the way to her toes.

Niko was getting so many things measured out, this seam and that inseam, and the length of his arms, chest, and back. It was all a bit confusing. But then again, he had never had to get a custom suit made. And he most definitely never had the money to get one made. Roman was in a similar situation. And had he not been getting measured himself he would've been making jokes about where the man had placed the measuring tape.

"Cousin. Do you love this woman?" Roman watched as the two females browsed through ties, Mallorie doing her thing of being nosey.

"Roman I do not even know what love is." The attendant lifted his arm out to the side and called out a number.

"Of course you do! Michelle clearly wasn't for you. But you have certainly upgraded!" Roman watched his cousin's features. He was always so stoic, and it was aggravating at times not being able to read him.

"Karen, was a spy, and a bitch. Kate is nothing like her. Quite the opposite really." The attendant turned him toward the mirror, and he could see the two women huddled together talking quietly by the display tables. Their backs were to him so he couldn't see if Kate was okay. It felt weird to be a short distance away from her after being wrapped up with her almost nonstop since he got to her late last night/early morning.

"Er. Right. Karen. Again, sorry for what happened. But look at what you have now cousin! She is beautiful and looks very happy to be with you. Oh! So when did you two start _really_ dating. Since you know, 'we are just friends' and all." Roman had made air quotes and had the man who was measuring him slap his arms down, it had messed up his measurement for across his shoulders.

"Early this morning, I guess. But she has told me that our hangouts were in fact dates, she was just in denial." Niko focused back to his cousin and missed him getting slapped.

"Such a short amount of time. Did you two have breakfast? Is that what caused you to show up late?" He held as still as he could, the man taking his measurements looked about ready to slap him again. But he liked talking with his hands, it made it easier to get his point across.

"We did." He wasn't willing to elaborate any further. What Kate and he did was not his cousin's business. And he was sure the questions would start heading that direction.

"Well my cousin. Then perhaps this wedding came at the right time! People always hook up at weddings!" The man pushed his arms back down to his sides when he gestured wildly to his cousin.

"You are impossible Roman." Niko nodded to the man who had finished his measurements. He stepped off the raised platform and watched as the clearly frustrated man moved his cousin around to finish up his job.

"You hurt my feelings." Roman pouted and pressed a hand to his heart. "Am I done yet?" Roman looked irritated when the attendant huffed at him.

"Yeah I'm done getting everything I need." He glared at Roman before looking over to Steve, "They are all ready to pick out suits. I'll have their measurements up at the counter." He hurriedly walked away not wanting to deal with the boisterous customer anymore.

"If you two want to get your ladies, we can start picking out suits." Steve smiled at Niko seeing him rolling his eyes. He could tell this was going to be one interesting sales experience.

Niko shook his head at his cousin and headed over to where the two females were giggling madly between themselves. Kate still had a slight flushed appearance and he began to worry about her. He prayed she wasn't catching a cold or getting an infection. He knew he should have taken her to the hospital or had the Doc check her out. There was no telling what kind of germs lived in the man's mouth that bit her. And he felt worse knowing she could have picked up some illness that man was carrying. The bite had broken the skin…

"What's so funny? Hopefully you haven't picked out a ridiculous tie for Roman and me to wear."

The women jumped at his voice and spun around wide eyed. They had been so caught up in their conversation they hadn't heard Niko approach. Mallorie let out a small snort and cleared her throat. She had that look about her that never boded well when he was the center of a topic. It usually led to things dealing with dates and women.

"No Niko we wouldn't do that to you!" Mallorie had giggled again and nudged Kate in the side, "In fact we were just deciding if they had matching underwear for the ties we like!" Both of them started giggling madly.

Niko narrowed his eyes at them. He knew they were up to something, but he wouldn't know till he got Kate alone. She wouldn't be able to keep things from him for very long. "Uh huh. We were just about to start looking at suits, if you two wanted to join us." He looked between them, noticing how at ease Kate was around his cousin's girlfriend. He was happy they were getting along.

"Roman will be so lost!" Mallorie nudged her friend again then walked off to her fiancé that was looking at solid white tuxes. "You can't wear white, I'm wearing white!"

Kate giggled at her statement then looked up to lock eyes with Niko. She had enjoyed opening up to her. She had been given too many ideas on what to wear for dinner and what to look forward to when she got Niko home that evening. She wouldn't need any blush if she kept flushing at everything Mallorie had said.

Niko cupped her face and brushed his thumb along her non-bruised cheekbone. He had been missing the contact with her and needed to feel her skin against his hands. He never considered himself clingy and was usually never close enough to someone to just simply touch them whenever he felt like it. But with Kate, he just couldn't keep his hands to himself. Her eyes sparkled up at him and he could read the excitement that was bubbling up inside her.

"You feeling okay? You've been flushed since we walked inside. I can take my jacket back if you are too warm."

"I am alright. Just not used to the bluntness that is Mallorie." She leaned into his hand and felt herself settle with his touch. "I found a tie and matching pocket square that I like and was wondering what you thought." She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and worried at it.

"Let me see what you have found." He gently pulled her lip out from under her teeth with his thumb and placed a light kiss to her. He could tell she was slightly nervous about something.

"Here. I kept coming back to this shade, and it's grown on me." She lifted a solid, dark forest green, satin tie up for Niko to see. Instead of reflecting the light, it was like it absorbed it. The fabric was soft to the touch and would give her something to run her fingers over when he held her close. The color had been what caught her attention, but once her fingers brushed the fabric, she hadn't been able to put it down. There was a matching pocket square and she had quickly picked it up.

"Why are you nervous to show me this?" He held her gaze as he took the tie from her hand. The fabric was extremely soft and would be difficult to tie without causing wrinkles. But it was smooth under his fingers, and it reminded him of the soft skin of her legs. It wasn't a light shade of green, but it wasn't a leafy shade either. And he liked the way it looked under the dim light of their shadows. It looked sophisticated.

"I didn't think you would like the color green." She loved the color green but didn't know if he would. She had never seen him wear anything green before and she was dying to know if it would look good on him.

"Your eyes are partially green, and I like them. So why wouldn't I be drawn to something of a similar color?" He held up the tie to his neck for her to see it against him. "Well? What do you think?"

God he was going to make her melt into a puddle at the bottom of his feet. He would catch her so off guard with the most precious words, and it would cause her heart to soar. She took the tie from him and draped it around his neck. "I will need to see it against a suit and shirt. Your white long sleeve shirt definitely doesn't match." She lightly pulled on the tie to get him to lean down to her face. "But I am enjoying seeing the color against your skin." She pressed her lips to his in a hungry kiss.

Niko lightened her kiss and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. If that was the reaction he got for wearing something green, he would be adding that color to his wardrobe. "Mm then let's go look at suits."

"I'm thinking either black, or really dark gray." She grabbed his hand and started walking over to a rack of blazers. Roman and Mallorie were on the other side flipping through suit jackets and debating quietly between themselves.

"Dark gray. We have a few that are so dark they look black in dim lighting." Steve had been watching the two couples browse around and decided he would step in and help them choose.

"Yeah but I don't want something too formal for tonight. Tomorrow yes, but something business casual." Kate looked over to Steve who had walked up to their side. Niko gripped her hand tightly not liking the way the man had approached her on her other side. She squeezed back to let him know she was good.

"Then maybe a sports coat and slacks?" Steve gestured toward a different rack and led them over to the sports coats. "One button or two?"

"I prefer one. Easier to get on and off." Niko eyed the salesman carefully. He didn't look threatening, but one could never be too sure.

"Okay, I have two that we can alter to your measurements on today. Would you like to try them on? I can get you a couple of button down shirts to try with them?" Steve pulled a couple of sports blazers off the rack and checked the pant sizes. He glanced up from the clothes to his clients.

"Please Niko?" Kate was smiling up at him and he was hard pressed to deny her when she looked at him that way.

"Alright." He would do this for her. He never enjoyed shopping, and hated trying on clothes, especially in front of people. He liked his privacy.

"Fitting rooms this way." He led them back to the raised platform and opened a wooden door beside it. It had a small dressing room behind it with a bench. Steve walked in and placed the sample suit jackets with matching slacks on a hook against the wall and stepped out to allow Niko to walk inside. "I will go grab a simple white button down, unless you want an off-white?" He looked between Niko and Kate.

"A soft white, if you have it." Kate said still looking at Niko who had lifted the sleeve of a sport coat and was examining it.

"Right away, and I'll grab some dress shoes too." Steve walked off in search of the shirt and shoes. He had picked out two suits, one more expensive than the other, but he had a feeling price wasn't going to matter if the female liked the way it looked.

"You are enjoying this aren't you?" Niko glanced at his girlfriend who leaned in the doorway of his dressing room. He could hear Mallorie talking to Roman through a different fitting room door. They were slightly arguing about suit vests and why she wanted him to wear one.

"Mmm hmm. And I'm glad there isn't a mirror in there. Means you have to come out here once you're changed so I can see you all dressed up." Kate had looked around the small dressing room and was kind of surprised there wasn't a mirror but was thankful for her good fortune.

"Here is a softer white button down. It's not the perfect size, but I have one in the packaging in the back. I'll have it brought up to the front when you check out." Steve handed Niko a button-down shirt, and a leather black belt.

"Uh thanks. Guess I'll try all this on." He put the items down on the bench and handed the tie back to Kate. He looped it around her neck and kissed her cheek. "Be out in a second."

"Try that one first, I think it'll look _great_ on you." Kate tugged the sleeve of the suit jacket she liked.

Niko kissed her lips and then closed the door. Kate smiled at Steve and then went to sit next to Mallorie who was waiting on Roman to exit his dressing room. She was texting someone and Kate wished she had her phone. She missed being able to check the time, and she would miss the random messages she would get from her mom.

"So. When we go next door, I'll have Roman pull Niko to the side so we should have some time to look at a few _items_ , as well as shoes, makeup- you know the works!" Mallorie said not looking up from her phone. Once she finished her message she put her phone back into her purse. "Hey now that I think about it, why don't we come over about an hour or two before the dinner and get ready together? I can help you with your makeup!" There was no way she wasn't going to try and help cover her friend's bruise. She had listened to Kate as she let her fears out about making people think Niko hit her.

"I will have to run it by Niko first. It's his apartment." But she was secretly hoping it would be alright. She would love having the private girl time to get ready, and she hoped Mallorie would be able to help cover up some of her bruises and marks. She didn't want to have to hide the whole dinner and she was worried she wouldn't be able to find a dress that would cover her neck. "But I would love for you to help me get ready, I'm not the greatest with makeup. But I have a way with hair if you want me to put yours up tonight?"

"Oh I would love that! I can't ever get my hair to do what I want! I usually have it pulled back into a ponytail. No fun!" She reached out a grabbed Kate's hand giving it a squeeze understanding her meaning behind the words. She would do her best to help Kate feel comfortable. "I'll be sure to bring my suitcase of makeup, hair accessories, and costume jewelry. It'll be like a mini sleep over!" They both giggled at the idea.

"A sleep over? Mind if I watch?" Roman wagged his eyebrows as he exited the dressing room. He had been listening to his bride-to-be and Kate talk and was glad they were hitting it off.

"Oh you behave yourself! Or you'll be the one sleeping over at Niko's and I'll have Kate over." Mallorie stuck her tongue out at him and gave him a once over. "Though if you wear that tonight, we might be hard pressed to get to Niko's in time for me to get ready."

"Only for you my love!" Roman gave a slight sweeping bow and turned around for her showing off his outfit. "Not bad not bad if I do say so myself!"

Mallorie got up to inspect him better and Kate was left to her own thoughts. She was really glad that Mallorie had offered to help with her makeup. She knew how to apply it but would appreciate the extra help. She wanted to be perfect for Niko tonight and she felt so self-conscience being out in public. The store attendants and salesmen had been nice enough not to stare and she would be sure to ask Niko if they tipped here. They deserved something extra for not making her feel awkward.

"Well? What do you think?" Niko's thick accent caused her to snap out of her thoughts. His sock covered feet were in her line of sight and she lifted them to take him all in. Dark gray slacks covered his legs and was cinched together with a thin black leather belt. The silver buckle shined in the light of the store. A soft white button down was tucked into the slacks, and the matching solid gray one button blazer was open. He looked so refined and handsome.

The ache from before clenched again inside her and she felt herself press her legs together firmly. He was so unbelievably sexy. She swallowed as her eyes finished their trek up his body to rest on his dark chocolate brown eyes. His eyebrow lifted in the way he always did when he was waiting for her to say something.

"You look so sexy." She had whispered the words, too stunned to say much else.

His eyes softened and he let his smile show. She looked at him with such an awe, that he could imagine that was how he looked at her. He held his hand out for her to help her stand up. He traced his thumb over her knuckles when she laid her hand in his. She was so delicate at times and he felt powerful when he held her.

"Thank you. You want to tie the tie for me?" He pulled her up gently to her feet and lifted the tie from her neck to slide it around his own. Her fingers brushed down the soft satin of the tie and went to work making a Windsor knot. She had learned how to tie a tie to help the kids at the community center she worked at. Some of the teenagers who went on job interviews would ask her to tie their ties, and she had found she needed the practice. She smoothed out the satin and leaned back to take in the look.

"Wow Niko. You look amazing." She had never seen him so dressed up before, and it wasn't even a formal suit. He had buttoned the one button and turned to look at himself in the mirror. He had worn suits before, mainly to the bank robbery he and Patrick had pulled off, but seeing himself dressed in fine clothes was weird. He was a solider, a poor kid from a desolate village in the now defunct county of Yugoslavia, not this high class looking person of society. He was used to blood and war, not suit ties and button downs.

Kate walked up behind him as he moved toward the trifold mirrors. He looked uncertain about something and she wasn't sure what it was. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face between his shoulder blades. Even the suit cloth felt soft against her skin. She had thought she had seen doubt flash across his face, and hoped he wasn't doubting what she had whispered.

Niko placed a hand against her arms that wrapped around his middle. His reflection couldn't possibly be the war criminal that had fled Europe. The person who looked back at him was someone else. Someone he didn't recognize. Then he saw Kate move from behind him to stand next to him. Her smile soft, her eyes fixated on his face. She moved his arm around her shoulders and leaned into him. The image they made, caused him to smile. They looked like a happy couple, two people who were lost in each other, and he wondered if this is what Roman had seen when they walked into the store.

"It suits you, you know. And I'm sure it'll look better tonight once its custom fitted." She looked up to him and smiled. He was handsome, and she would have to fight off every female at the restaurant tonight.

"Thank you." He leaned down and kissed her smiling lips. She made him feel comfortable in these clothes, and for a minute he could almost see himself as someone made for her- not the evil, dark soul that lived inside him.

"If you'd like, I will take the suit number and have our tailor start working on cutting you your new suit." Steve had stood back and watched the couple in fascination. He could tell they were in love, but he didn't think they knew that yet. The other two customers had watched the interaction with knowing looks. _'Ah, young love.'_

"I'll take this one, and the black one I saw earlier. The one with the vest. I have a tie at home that will work with it." He had eyeballed a three piece suit as he walked up to the girls earlier and it had caught his attention. It was jet black, and the red tie he owned from the bank robbery would be just right. "I'll also need a standard white button down. The one I have at home is old." _'And covered in blood stains.'_

"And I'll take this one I have on. It will be just right for tonight's dinner." Roman had spoken up and grinned at Mallorie. They had both been witness to something special, and he couldn't wait to talk to her about it in the car later.

"If you gentlemen will change back, I'll meet you up at the front to check out." Steve took both the jackets the men handed him, and picked up the one Niko was talking about, he would have them ready to check out before they got done changing.

"You look good cousin. Just don't try to upstage me tonight." Roman laughed and headed back into his dressing room.

"Ha ha very funny Roman. I'm not dressing up for you. I don't want to embarrass your fiancé."

Mallorie had barked out a laugh with his comment and held her sides as laughter peeled out of her. Kate had soon joined her and the two of them were in fits of giggles and laughter. Niko shook his head and went back into the changing room to get back into his regular clothes. He was sure the day was far from over. They still had to dress shop.

' _And I need to snap out of it. There is still danger out there and I can't be getting comfortable. Pegorino needs to be dealt with and the ones who went after Kate need to be punished. I will not slip up when I have something to look forward to. Once I know she is truly safe, I will be able to give her what she really wants. My heart.'_


	3. Action Speaks Louder Than Words

Niko and Roman had settled down into the plush comfortable armchairs at Clara Krow. The girls had practically dashed away from them the second they entered the store, Kate shoving his jacket back into his arms in her haste to follow Mallorie. An attendant, dressed in a crisp black suit, had led them to a sitting area in the back corner of the store. It was clearly meant for the men who brought their ladies here to shop. It was on a raised platform and it gave them a view of the whole store. There was a fireplace in the center of the platform, and it was surrounded with comfy chairs and small couches, allowing for semiprivate conversations or phone calls. Tables sat between a few of the chairs allowing men to set their drinks down. 

The store attendant that led them to the seating area had offered to get them something to drink. Roman had immediately asked for alcohol. Wanting to pregame early for the rehearsal dinner. Niko had only asked for water. He wanted a clear head while they were in public. He wouldn’t risk not being aware while there were still madmen out to get him. Niko had made sure the attendant would take care of his girlfriend and his cousin’s fiancé and would tip her accordingly. She had walked off quickly, her heels clicking on the marble floor, as she went to assist the two ladies with whatever they needed. A different lady brought them their drinks and walked off to go back to her clients in the wedding department.

Niko typed out a quick message to Francis about the motorcycle incident. He managed to grab the license plate number and wanted someone to run it. He would do it himself, but that would require breaking into a cop car. And right now, he wasn’t sure he would be able to manage it and keep Kate from knowing. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that the person on the motorcycle knew something. He had even given an old salute that he and his comrades used to make while fighting in the war. It was shared after a night of drinking before they all stumbled to their makeshift beds to pass out. This was nudging old memories to the surface and the tattoo from the assholes in the McReary household was still evading him. He would need to talk to Florian/Bernie to see if he remembered it or not. _‘Something to dwell on later’_

Niko took in his surroundings and liked the way the place seemed to cater to everyone. There was a place for men to relax, plenty of different departments for everything a female would need, and he could see a row of fitting rooms on the far side by a small hallway that led to the restrooms. He would be comfortable for the time being and he was able to keep Kate in his line of sight from the raised seating area. Roman had been talking nonstop about the wedding and it was comforting to hear his cousin speak so highly of his relationship. His eyes drifted shut with the lull of his cousin’s voice. His female was happily laughing in the background and it soothed his soul.

Roman’s pause in his story gave him the impression they weren’t alone. The noise of someone approaching caused him to open his eyes. “Why are you not with Kate?” Niko eyed Mallorie not liking Kate being on her own. He glanced around the store and couldn’t spot her. He sat up with the absence of her in the store, not liking where this was going. He could feel a mild panic starting to brew in his chest.

Mallorie approached the two men, walking up the few steps to sit on the footstool in front of Niko. She looked hesitant and opened her mouth a couple of times to speak, only to shut it. She wrung her hands in her lap and shifted uncomfortably. “She went into the restroom. It’s only a one room restroom. Couldn’t really go in with her you know? Niko, I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest with me.” Mallorie almost never looked nervous to ask someone something. She was always bold and to the point. But she was starting to really like Kate and wasn’t sure where that put her in Niko’s chain of friendships. She couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably under his gaze, he looked intimidating in this moment.

Niko leaned forward to get into her personal space. He had an idea of what she was going to ask and didn’t like the public setting. He narrowed his eyes at her, “If it is about what happened, that is for her to tell you, not me.”

She leaned back from him feeling slightly afraid in his presence for the first time. She tucked her hair behind her ears needing to move under his hardened gaze. “Was she raped?” She had been quiet when she asked. She needed to know, needing to make sure what she was about to shop for with her wouldn’t be out of the comfort zone.

Niko sighed and leaned back from her. He knew the question would come up, but even he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Roman had shifted closer wanting to know his answer to his fiancé’s question. “No Mallorie. But it was close when I got to her. That is all I will say.” He was starting to want to join his cousin in drinking. He had seen the video flash across his mind, and he forced himself to stay calm. He had stopped the men from going further in the act, but he felt sick knowing he hadn’t been there to save her sooner.

“Okay. That was all I needed to know. I was going to come over with Roman about two hours before dinner. I want to help her cover the bruises. I saw some on her neck, and I’m assuming there is more. She should feel confident tonight, and I know she won’t be if she is stared at all night.” Mallorie stood up and walked to the staircase, she looked back over her shoulder at her fiancé and friend. She was feeling happy to be away from the daunting look Niko had been giving her. She shook involuntarily when he followed her movements.

“Don’t pick out anything low cut. You won’t be able to cover her bandage.” Niko glared at her making sure she kept that knowledge to herself. He watched her eyes widen before she descended back down the steps and head off to the restrooms.

“Cousin? What happened?” Roman had been silent through the exchange. He was fascinated with the way Niko had handled himself and was curious to know what really went down. He usually didn’t feel uneasy around his cousin, but the coldness that settled over them was hard to shake.

“Roman not here. It is much too public for a private conversation. Perhaps while you two are over, I will explain what I can. My work has put her in danger. And I will be quitting soon. She doesn’t approve of the lifestyle I live.” Niko looked to his cousin wondering if he should tell him anything more.

“Alright. I will not push now. But if I know my Mallorie, she will be doing everything in her power to make her feel comfortable today and tonight. She went through some stuff with Vlad. I’m glad you did what you did. I did not know the extent of their _relationship_.” Roman had frowned at the mention of Vlad. He hated the now dead man but was thankful for his cousin’s quick action. Even if it had put them in a difficult situation.

“I did not know.” Niko grew quiet. He had wondered why she would’ve kept going back to Vlad if she was dating his cousin. It hadn’t made sense to him. He saw Kate emerge from the restroom and the two headed off into the sea of dress racks. They looked happy shifting through dresses and pulling some out to place against their bodies. Even the store attendant was laughing with them.

“It is in the past, yes?” Roman down his drink. He didn’t want to keep dwelling on what had happened. He was happy now with her and wanted to keep it that way.

“Of course cousin. You ready to tie the knot?” Niko chuckled at his cousin. He never thought he would settle down, especially with the way his emails had been.

“Yes! I am crazy about her. Madly, deeply, in love with her. There is no one else but her.” He smiled at his cousin and watched as another young woman walked up to them.

“Can I get you another drink sir?” She was in a black dress that clung to her hourglass figure. She smiled at the two of them and pulled out a small notebook to take their drink orders on. She was clearly the bartender here and knew how to dress to get large tips from the men who waited while their ladies shopped.

“Yeah I’ll take another vodka on the rocks. Niko you want something?” Roman had given the lady a once over and winced when his cousin shot him a death glare.

“I’m fine thank you.” Niko wasn’t impressed with the way his cousin ogled the woman. Had he not just been declaring he was a one-woman man now?

“If you change your mind, the name is Sara.” She winked at Niko and headed back down the steps toward a back room, sauntering her hips as she walked.

“Well she seems nice. Why don’t you want to drink with me?” He had watched Sara walk away, his eyes watching the way her hips moved and the shortness of the dress that hiked up with her movements.

“You are unbelievable at times Roman. Can’t even keep your eyes to yourself.” He glanced to see where their two women were and could barely see the tops of their heads over the display case they were browsing through. The store attendant helping them pick out something.

“Just because I have settled down, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a fine looking woman.” He pouted at Niko. “Besides, she had eyes for you.”

Niko scoffed at the notion. “I am clearly not interested.” He leaned back into the chair and felt his pistol settle in the pocket against his chest. It was a comforting weight, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it today. It had felt good to not have to be ready to walk into battle at any second. He was alert, but he wasn’t expecting a gunfight to break out. He wasn’t taking orders from anyone anymore. He let out a sigh and watched as his female wondered around with his cousin’s fiancé.

He felt the vibrate before the phone started to ring loudly in the store. Its chirping causing a few other patrons to look over annoyed. Quickly Niko pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and noticed it was an unknown caller. Dread started to fill him as he answered the phone.

_“Would you like to accept a collect call from Aldernery State Correctional Facility? Press one to accept and two to decline. Additional charges and fees may apply.”_ The monotone computer voice stated.

Niko looked to his cousin and shook his head. Pressing one, he accepted the call. There was no telling what this was going to be about.

_“Niko! I swear to fucking God if you told Francis anything I will find a way to murder you and your whole damn family!”_ Gerry sounded livid.

“I haven’t said shit to Francis. What is this all about?” Niko kept his voice even and low. He wished he could get up and pace around, but he wasn’t about to leave his vantage point of watching over Kate, and Roman would keep his mouth shut till he got off the phone.

_“Well the asshole called. I refused to answer. I’m not talking to him. He doesn’t deserve the air he breathes.”_

_‘Great. Now I have to explain.’_ Niko thought bitterly, “Gerry, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell you-”

_“Who died? Packie finally do too much coke?”_

Niko sighed. There was going to be no easy way to explain it. He glanced at Roman and placed his index finger to his lips asking him to stay silent and to not repeat a word of what was about to be said. He somewhat trusted Roman, but he would choose his words carefully. He was sure someone was listening in on the call.

_“Niko? Please don’t tell me it was Katie.”_ There was a genuine sadness to his voice. Almost a quiver when her name crossed his lips.

“Packie is alive. Your mother was killed early this morning.” He felt a large amount of guilt settle on his shoulders. He was so involved with this family. He worked for almost every one of the brothers at some point, had ended up killing one of them, watched as they all turned against one another, listened to a drunk Packie and Katie spill their guts about their horrible upbringing- of the fights, killings, drunken beatings, molestation, and then had to see the devastation of what happened to Kate, after finding their mother dead. It was beginning to become slightly overwhelming.

A long pause with an eerie silence passed. Niko moved his phone away from his ear to ensure the call was still connected, “Gerry?”

_“Sorry. Poor Ma. Katie? Please tell me she didn’t have to see it.”_ Gerry’s voice was heavy. Niko could hear the pain and sadness with each word.

“I’m probably the last one who needs to tell you. It was a sanctioned hit. They killed your mother and went after Kate. I managed to get there, but it was not good.” Niko closed his eyes and dropped his head into his other hand. This was harder than he thought. He pinched the bridge of his nose needing to do something with his hands to keep from lashing out at something.

_“The fuck did they do to my little sister?”_

“Francis and I believe she was marked for product. But it’s more complicated than that-”

_“THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO MY SISTER!”_ Gerry had roared over the phone.

“I stopped them from committing anything irreversible.” Niko lowered his voice and prayed Roman wouldn’t say shit or bring attention to them. _‘For all their differences, they sure had the exact same reaction to the news…’_

_“They killed Ma, and then they attempted to rape my sister? Names?”_ There was a sharp coldness to his tone, one Niko imagined he could pull off.

_“_ _Ivan Sokolov and Vova Mikhailov. Francis is working with IAA and FIB to place their connection to anyone that may want you and me dead. Which is why he was calling. We think it was someone wanting to wipe out the McReary clan, and through my own past, me. There was an email sent afterwards. Jimmy- I. I betrayed him. I thought it would be him, but I was in the middle of betraying him when the two men broke into your mother’s house.”_

_“They dead?”_

_“Not to the extent I wish. But yes. They are at the morgue.”_

_“Why betray Pegorino? We had a decent arrangement with them.”_

_“He wanted me to work with someone who had attempted to kill my cousin and me several times. The rat couldn’t be trusted. And I knew he would go after Kate if I let him live.”_

_“Why?”_

_“Why go after Kate?”_

_“Yes you fucking idiot.”_

_“Because I’m dating your sister.”_

_Again the line went silent, before a small chuckle could be heard,_ _“Just when I was starting to really like you, you go and start dating my sister? You best not fuck that up, because I will kill you.”_

_“Trust me. You asked I watch over your family. She will never be harmed again.”_

_“She’s good you know? I watched out for her. Things she doesn’t even know about. She’s been a target for a long time. Can’t be the Princess of the Irish Mob and not have a target on your back. Niko, you take care of her. Swear on your life you won’t hurt her.”_

_“I swear. You think this might have something to do with Gracie?”_

_“Doubt it, but I’ll think it over and work with some contacts. We will find out who did this.”_ _Gerry paused as he thought about what had happened,_ _“Is Katie okay though? No major injuries besides the trauma I’m sure she’s dealing with?”_

_“It wasn’t good. I’m am not sure the extent of what happened. Haven’t asked. Don’t really want to know. But I feel like I need to know.”_

_“Fucking hell. Have her call me? I’d like to hear her voice. Know she’s okay.”_

_“I’ll ask her to call you. I’m sorry for not being there sooner.”_

_“Don’t apologize. There was no way of knowing. Thanks for saving my sister. I owe you.”_

_“If you would like to extend this call, press one. Otherwise have a great day.”_

_Niko pressed one and heard the call reconnect. But there was no one on the other side of the line._ _‘He probably needs a minute’_

_“Cousin? Is everything okay?” Roman had stayed silent, sipping on his drink and listening intently to the phone conversation. He wasn’t sure what was going on. But knew the deal Niko had called him about the day before might have something to do with what happened._

_“Not now Roman.” Niko hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He took the drink from Roman and down the last of it. He was feeling uneasy, like everything was crashing down at once. He had been going nonstop since stepping off that boat for the first time. Killing after killing, kidnapping, drug smuggling, extortion, blackmail. It was getting out of hand. He leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes. The alcohol wasn’t enough to keep the swirling doubt from seeping into his mind. He covered his eyes with one of his hands and prayed that he’d be able to figure it all out soon. He roughly slid his hand away from his face wanting to catch a glimpse of Kate._

Mallorie glanced up at the platform the guys were sitting on, noticing the way they were talking and figured now would be the best chance she would get to talk to Kate. She shooed the store attendant away wanting a quiet moment with her new friend. “So are you really wanting to jump him or is it just this incessant need to feel touched and to remove the memories of what happened?”

Kate went rigid, the color draining from her face, and her hands clenched into the poor dress she had been admiring. She felt weak, ashamed, and overwhelmingly stressed. She felt the tremor start in her hands and she let the cloth of the dress go before she ruined it. Sure she thought it a bit odd at how open and willing she had been with Niko. Not once second guessing what she was doing. And now it felt like she was just trying to bury an immense pain by drowning in his touch and body. Her fear stricken eyes lifted to her new friend. Had she been using him as an escape?

Mallorie saw the wide range of emotions flash across her face, could almost see the abhorrent thoughts running rampant in her mind. “Now before you jump off the deep end, if you have feelings for him, then please don’t get the idea that you are just using him. Granted he would probably give you anything you ever wanted if you just asked him for it.” She closed the space between them not wanting their voices to carry.

Kate turned slightly toward Mallorie. She had been dreading this conversation. With how bold her new friend had been in the suit store, there was bound to be more questions and suggestions. Kate’s eyes filled with unshed tears, “Stop. _Please_. I don’t want to break down. Not here. I’m just so confused. Scared, mad, hurt, it feels like if I stop moving or I’m left alone this panic is going to kill me.” She closed her eyes willing the tears to stop from cascading, “I never thought. I never.” She sucked in a breath not wanting to think about her actions only being a coping mechanism. What she felt for him, it had to be more than just a need to not feel those other men’s hands on her. Right?

“Hey no! It’s okay!” Mallorie pulled her into her arms. “I just want you to know, if you are trying to wait, and that was truly what you wanted, then wait. You are in control of your body, and if you are really, and I mean really okay with moving forward, then go for it! But if there is a small part of you, a small voice inside, that says no, then please don’t force it. It will only make you feel worse.” She ran her hands over her friend’s back trying to offer any form of comfort she could.

“I don’t know what I want. I just know when he and I are close, it’s like nothing happened and all I want is to just let go. To be free to be touched, loved, and I guess to just forget for the moment. Is that bad? Is it bad to just want him?” Kate returned the hug and rested her head on her shoulder. “Do you think he would wait?” It had barely been above a whisper.

“I don’t think it’s bad, and yes I do believe he would wait. He’s been burned by his last relationship. And I believe he sees what you two have.” Mallorie pulled back slightly and gave her a tender smile, “But if you really aren’t ready, don’t rush. Don’t let me, him, what happened force you into this.” She gently placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder, “I know how you feel.”

Kate’s eyes widened at the revelation, “You do? If you don’t mind me asking, how?”

“Not at all, I’m practically playing 21 questions with you anyway. But I was 15, a cousin’s friend decided he didn’t want to wait. He was 19 and thought I was being stupid in wanting to wait. He had talked me into doing more than I was ready for. When I told him to stop-” Mallorie’s face scrunched up briefly in an attempt to get her thoughts in order, “He didn’t.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kate gave Mallorie another hug, offering her comfort.

“Don’t be. It’s in the past now. But it led me down some pretty dark choices. Things that we can talk about later, but I want you to be able to avoid my mistakes. I was angry all the time, and my way of dealing wasn’t healthy. Alcohol, drugs, sex. None of it mattered. I felt empty, like my body wasn’t mine anymore, so what did it matter what I did. It’s how I got so involved with Vlad. Another story, for a different time.” Mallorie moved out of Kate’s arms and smiled for her, “I’m a better person now that I’ve been able to heal and talk to someone who listened.” She glanced up to where her fiancé was sitting, seeing Niko polish off Roman’s drink.

“Roman.” Kate smiled at the gentle look Mallorie was sending him.

“Yeah he really helped me see my worth again.” She turned back to Kate and let a genuine smile bloom across her face, “It’s not a bad thing to want Niko. So don’t doubt those urges. But be sure you know deep down that you are ready. There is no coming back from that decision. Now regardless of if you two hook up physically or not, there is loads of things that come before! And I am more than willing to answer those questions and help you understand anything you want to know about.” Her smile turned mischievous.

Kate felt her face heat at the look she was getting, but part of her, the curious cat that lived deep down in her soul couldn’t resist the bait. “You have my attention.”

Mallorie couldn’t stop the smirk that crossed her face as she looped her arm again through Kate’s, turning them toward a section in the back to the store. “So how bout we have some _real_ fun and find something for _under_ the dresses.” She winked as the blush formed once more on her friend’s face. “Follow me!” She led Kate off to the _Intimates_ section back by the fitting rooms, waving the attendant along with them.

Niko had almost jumped out of his chair and rushed over to them when he saw what looked like distress come from Kate’s body language. She was being held by Mallorie. But within minutes, which felt like a lifetime to him, passed, they were heading off to… His eyes widened and could almost hear Roman whisper a ‘hot damn’.

“Well my cousin, looks like you might be getting lucky after all!” Roman clapped Niko on the upper back and looked at his empty glass, pouting slightly.

“I can’t even right now.” Niko dropped his head back into his hands, if Mallorie was getting his girlfriend into anything beyond a normal bra and underwear he was going to have a hard time focusing on dinner, and not wondering what was underneath whatever dress she picked out.

“Niko, you should be happy about this. Mallorie is a genius when it comes to seduction. She will make sure to spice things up for you two. Don’t fret too much.” Roman waved over the bartender wanting another drink, he was getting a good buzz, and if Mallorie got her way, she would be making the honeymoon _very_ interesting. His eyes drifted away from the section of the store where his fiancé was at and took notice of another male walking in their direction. “Erh. Niko?”

Niko looked up in time to see his cousin wave at someone who walked up the steps.

“I figured I’d find you here.” Francis walked up to the platform and stood before Niko and what clearly looked to be his cousin.

Niko had reached inside his jacket pocket to pull out his pistol before he recognized the McReary brother standing in front of him. They eyed each other wearily not entirely sure how to react to the other. They had both been witness to the video file and had seen what Kate had been through. There was also the awkward confrontation they had earlier at the McReary residence. Francis was in his typical suit and jacket. His badge could be seen hanging from his belt, and Niko could see the end of a pistol in a holster against his hip.

“I don’t recall giving you my itinerary Officer McReary.” Niko glanced to his cousin who had shifted uncomfortably in front of the cop.

“I am here strictly on business. IAA said they would be sending someone to stand in as a date for me tonight. We will be at the bar, keeping an eye on the front entrance. I’m here picking her up a dress.” He shifted on his feet trying to be civil with the man who was dating/not dating his sister. “You’re also lucky that the dinner is tonight. Deputy Mayor Bryce Dawkins and Congressman Thomas Stubbs is throwing a charity dinner party. Trying to get funding for who knows what out of some well known rich people. The security will be heavy.”

“Ah. Well. Guess you won’t be alone amongst all the couples.” Niko narrowed his eyes; he was not used to normal conversation with Francis. It usually consisted of a few jabs at his immigrant status, and then an order to go kill someone who was harassing him. “It’s good then that there will be more protection at the restaurant.”

“It is, it makes it easier to keep a close eye on things and keep the level of security high. Shouldn’t have too much trouble looking our direction.” Francis nodded. It was a lucky coincidence that the IAA and FIB were already set up to keep the place secure for the powers that be in Liberty City, it wasn’t much to ask that he join the protection detail.

He sighed knowing he would need to talk to Niko about his brother, “I tried calling Gerry. He wouldn’t take my call. I was going to stop by there after here.” Francis glanced between the two cousins, noticing small similarities.

“He called me. He must have thought I had been telling you his secrets or something. He wasn’t the happiest.” Niko sighed. _‘Let the hits keep coming I guess.’_

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did. Did you tell him?” He looked nervous, almost bordering on relieved, that Niko had been the one to share the news.

“I did. Not the full story. I know people listen in on those calls.” He leaned back in the chair, keeping alert should this conversation take a turn for the worse. _‘Afterall, the McReary family has a temper…’_

“Uh thanks, I guess. I also got your message. My detective, the one from last night, is looking into it. Should know in an hour if it’s registered. My guess is probably not. So I had surveillance start looking at traffic cams.” Francis was somewhat happy he wouldn’t have to try and explain what happened to Gerry. His temper was difficult to deal with and they didn’t see eye to eye anymore. He was also unfazed by Niko’s jab about his single status. He was too focused on his career to want to do more than hook up with someone time to time. But speaking of couples, “Surprised you aren’t following my sister around the store like a lost puppy.” Francis looked over his shoulder to see if he could spot his sister.

“She is safe. I have eyes on her, and the only entrance close to her.” Niko folded his arms across his chest, his hand resting inside his jacket in case he needed to reach for his pistol. He would let him dig only so much before he reacted. He didn’t think anyone in the store would take too kindly to him if he beat up a cop. Especially Kate. But he had to give it to Francis, he seemed to be pulling every string he had to find out who attacked his sister and killed their mother.

“It’s a decent vantage point. But not close enough to react if someone were to nab her.” Francis spotted the reddish brown bun of his sister’s hair as she ducked between a few dresses in front of the fitting rooms. The other two females motioning her to turn around to see the dress she held up.

“I am fairly accurate with any weapon. They wouldn’t make the door.” He was getting the impression Francis was wanting a fight. He had thought their phone call earlier had settled whatever differences they had. He had said he was glad he saved his sister, right? So why was he pushing his buttons? 

“Whatever. Look Niko, she is in danger, and so are you. I can only do so much to keep surveillance going before it becomes a problem. We will need to meet soon to go over everything. Not here. Too public. But after the wedding tomorrow. I will give you these two days, then it will be back to business.” Francis shifted under the darkening stare of Niko, it was making him uncomfortable.

“You don’t seem very happy about that.” He leaned forward in the chair and started to tap out a rhythm on his arm. He was getting impatient and didn’t like having him around him in public. It would draw notice.

“I don’t like my sister being around you. But for whatever reason she seems to deem you acceptable.” Francis scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“And I don’t like your tone, yet here we are. You should be more mindful of what your sister thinks.” Niko’s voice dropped. He was getting tired of having the same conversation over and over with him. If he had such a problem, then he just needed to get over it.

“Don’t you forget who keeps your name off the wanted list! I’m sure FIB and IAA would love to get their hands on a _war criminal_.” Francis had harshly whispered the last words, not wanting his voice to carry. He didn’t know why, but the thought of him being around his sister pissed him off, especially after seeing the video and photos of her. He didn’t want some criminal dating his little sister. She deserved to be with someone good, who didn’t walk the line of right and wrong, someone who wouldn’t betray her trust at some point by breaking her heart. Especially someone who had killed one of her brothers.

Niko stood up quickly and pulled his pistol out, the safety clicking off loudly. He pressed it to Francis’s stomach and grabbed his suit jacket pulling the man closer to him. “And don’t you forget it. I am more than capable of getting rid of a body.” Francis was getting close to his limit. He didn’t like dealing with him, but he wouldn’t let him run his mouth in his presence anymore. He could get away with it before, but they were even now. And he planned to keep it that way. He gave him a once over, “Or have you forgotten everything I did for you?”

“Cousin!” Roman had whisper-yelled out in reflex. He had a gun pointed at a cop!

Francis was shocked. He wasn’t expecting him to explode and threaten him. They were standing in a public high-end store. He felt the gun press harder into his stomach and he grimaced at the feel. He couldn’t look away from the cold eyes that bore into his. He had pushed his luck, and he would need to diffuse the man’s anger. He swallowed and briefly wondered if this is what the people saw before Niko killed them. He had ordered this man to dispose of several people. If this was their last image before death, he was thankful it had never been directed at him before now.

“Put the gun away Niko. I’m on your side, no need to kill the one person who has your back in the law enforcement arena.”

He shoved Francis away from him and clicked the safety back on. He quickly tucked the gun back into his jacket and eyed the Deputy Commissioner in front of him. “You wouldn’t be worth the effort of killing. Derrick thought differently though.” It was a low blow. One he knew Francis felt guilt over. He could see the widening of his eyes and the shame that clouded them. Niko heard quickly approaching footfalls and backed further away from Francis. “Do not threaten me again. I will not be so forgiving next time.” He had spoken low. Volume wasn’t always needed when making his point. Sometimes the deadliest words could be spoken evenly and strike more fear into someone, then it being yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Everything okay?” Kate had seen her brother and Niko get in each other’s face. She had left Mallorie’s side and rushed over to make sure they wouldn’t start fighting. The look of them frightened her for a moment till they backed away. She had thought she saw his gun, but it had been so quick she wasn’t sure. She was trying to even out her breathing and calm her racing heart. She didn’t want them fighting, especially if it was over what had happened last night. A brief flash of Gerry beating Francis in their kitchen crossed her mind.

The two men looked to her. Niko looked away quickly and shifted his weight from foot to foot. He hoped she hadn’t seen much of their confrontation or heard anything that was said. The last thing he needed was to disappoint her for fighting with her brother. Francis looked like he had seen a ghost and had a far off look in his eyes. She hesitated at the foot of the few stairs that led up to them, not sure of their reactions.

“Everything is fine Katie. Just handling our differences.” Francis eyed Niko before moving down to stand at his sister’s side. “How are you feeling today?” He reached out and traced the bruise on her cheek. She flinched at the contact, not used to her brother touching her.

“Better since I spent the morning with Niko.” She had given him a hard look. She knew he held no love of Niko, but this was her relationship and her choice. She would defend him to her brother if it came down to it. She had fallen in love with the thick accent, dark eyes, and comforting touch that was Niko. And her brother be damned if he had a problem with it. He hadn’t bothered to be part of her life before, why was he butting in now?

“I see. I’ll see you tonight Katie.” He didn’t like the hurt and anger he saw directed at him from his little sister. He had been horrible at being there for her, and he would have to do some penance to make up for it. He felt his chest constrict painfully with her look. He shook his head and headed off to pick up the dress for his partner tonight. He hadn’t met her, but the IAA officer had been adamant she be there.

“Tonight Francis?” Kate wasn’t sure what he meant. She had turned to watch him walk away. She hated having to part ways on bad terms with every one of her brothers and she wanted this time to be different.

“I’ll be there at the restaurant. I want to make sure you are safe. Too many unknowns and players to know for sure who was behind the attack. I’ll keep my distance.” Francis had stopped walking and talked over his shoulder. He wanted to get away from her. Every time he saw the bruise, he was reminded that he had failed in keeping her safe. He had left her in that house with his drunk father and violent brothers. He was surprised she had mentally survived this long. His guilt was heavy this day, more than it had been in a long time.

“Okay.” She watched him walk over to the front counter and speak to the lady there. She wasn’t sure why he showed up, or why he was in a girl’s store. As far as she knew he wasn’t dating anyone, too wound up in his own selfish career to care about women and family.

“I’m sorry about that.” Niko had taken the few steps down to stand at her side. He hoped she hadn’t heard what he said about her brother. It was a closely guarded secret that he had been the one to put a bullet into Derrick’s head. He carried a large amount of guilt for being the one to end his life. He found it hard to look at Patrick at times because the man would bring up how unfortunate it was he met his end. If Kate ever found out… She would leave him and never look back.

“And I’m sorry for the rude behavior he has. He didn’t tell you to stay away did he?” She looked up into his eyes, wanting to make sure her brother hadn’t made her boyfriend doubt their relationship.

“No. Not this time, but he was walking a thin line. What we do is our business, not his. I was simply reminding him of that fact.” He saw Mallorie walk up and nodded to her. “Don’t worry about what your brother says. He can’t keep me away from you.”

She smiled at his words and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. We are almost done. I’ve picked out what I want to wear tonight, but I am having trouble finding something for tomorrow.” She bit down on her lower lip. She had found the perfect dress for tonight, and a matching jacket since it was rather cold outside. They were going to look at shoes next, but she didn’t know what to get for the wedding tomorrow.

He could see Mallorie trying to wave to him. He wasn’t completely sure what she was getting at, but he would try to not draw notice to her. “Would you like me to look with you for a minute? I’m sure Mallorie would like to show Roman what she picked out?” It was more of a question for Mallorie than it was for Kate. She had been waving around behind Kate trying to get his attention for something.

“If you wouldn’t mind?” Kate felt her stomach twist up in knots. What type of dress would he pick out? Would it be something she would be comfortable in? Or would it be something completely out of her comfort zone? Mallorie had talked her into the dress for the dinner. And it was bordering on what she deemed inappropriate, but Mallorie had been adamant about how Niko would react to seeing her in it.

“Lead the way.” He held his arm out for her and gave her his soft smile. It would give him something to distract himself with. He was rather heated after telling Francis off. She took his arm eagerly and somewhat pulled him off toward the more business looking dresses.

Mallorie watched them walk off and gave Niko the thumbs up when he glanced over his shoulder. It would give her a few minutes to go pick out something _special_ for her new friend to wear tonight under the dress she picked out. A wide smirk spread across her lips and she turned back to her fiancé. “Care to join me, my love? I believe I have a friend in need!” She snickered and laughed when Roman scrambled to get up and follow her. They had much to talk about.

“I really hope Francis hasn’t said anything to hurt you. He can be such an ass sometimes.” Kate had brought Niko back toward the dressing rooms to look at a few dresses that were on clearance. She fingered a couple and looked up to her boyfriend’s face. She really didn’t like the way her brother spoke about Niko.

“Hurt me? Please. The man would have to do a lot to get to me.” He snorted at the thought. His words could sting, but he knew better. He wouldn’t let what Francis say bother him, he had too many other issues to deal with.

“Still. I don’t appreciate it. You’re my boyfriend, and he should respect my decisions.” She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her face in his chest. She was missing his touch.

He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. “The only person’s opinions who matter to me is yours. Don’t worry about him.” He tilted her face to look up at him. She made his heart lift with the way her eyes softened when their eyes locked. “Now Лепа ( _Lepa)_ , what kind of dress are you looking for?” He could use the distraction, and he wouldn’t show it, but it had stung when Francis had brought up his war criminal status, and his call with Gerry was weighing heavy on him.

She leaned up on her toes and kissed his smiling lips. “You’re going to have to tell me what that means one day.”

“Beautiful.” He kissed her again and pulled her in for another hug. He was thankful for her gentle nature. She smoothed his rough edges and made him believe that there was a ‘normal’ way to live. To not have to steal and kill your way through life.

“I really like it when you call me that.” She squeezed him and leaned out of his embrace, “But I am trying to find something sophisticated. Something that can show me off but allows me to hide the horrible bite mark, and various other bruises.” She had gone quiet with the mention of her wounds.

“I saw something that caught my attention when we walked in, would you like to see it?” He had seen a dress on a mannequin as they had been led to the seating area. It was something he would think she would like, and it would be drop dead gorgeous on her.

She nodded her head and smiled when he took her hand and started to walk them over to the front of the store. She had tried to stay conscience of the prices of the things she picked out. He had said he wanted to spoil her, but she didn’t want to overindulge. She didn’t want to be that girl that ran up a man’s credit card with clothing. She would much rather spend time with him, then spend his money. The makeup alone had made her feel bad, but Mallorie had reassured her it would be alright.

“Niko? I forgot to ask, but how much am I allowed to spend?” She pulled at his hand to make him stop and look at her. She was starting to get concerned.

“Price doesn’t matter Kate. If it is what you want, and you like it, then I will get it for you.” He gave her a quizzical look.

“Yes but. It’s all very expensive. I don’t want to spend your money on something that I will only wear once.” She looked around the store at all the beautiful articles of clothing.

“Then I will just have to take you out so you can wear it again, yes?” He chuckled when her eyes widened at his comment.

“You mean that?” She had whispered her question, a small amount of excitement blooming in her stomach.

“Of course. You didn’t think I would stop taking you out after my cousin’s wedding, did you?” He tilted his head and gave her a worried look. Did she not think he would want to keep taking her out?

“I mean, I would hope we would still go on dates and all. But I wasn’t expecting anything fancy. I like our pool and dart dates. Can’t exactly bend over a pool table in a dress.”

“You could, but I’d be pulling you out of there and back into my car. I don’t need some drunken idiot looking at my girl.” He smirked at the blush that rose on her cheeks.

“Is that so? And just what would we be doing in your car?” She raised her eyebrow at him, wondering what he would say.

“I’d shove your panties out of the way and have my way with you.” He had said it so casually that it surprised her. Her mouth dropped open with his statement. He shut her mouth with his index finger. “What?”

“Nothing. I just. You’ve never spoken to me that way.” Her face reddened further under his stare.

He shrugged. “It’s the truth. There is no way I’d be able to hold back seeing you bent over a pool table in one of these short dresses.” He gestured to one of the shorter dresses on a rack and watched as her face turned all shades of red. Maybe he went too far. “I’m sorry. I have over stepped.”

“It’s okay. Just wow. It’s different hearing it from you. Because I know you’d follow through on it, and I’d be more than willing. I’d be at your mercy Niko.” She swallowed at the image she conjured up of him bending her over a pool table, his hands grabbing her waist, the feel of him pressed against her.

“You keep talking like that and I will drag you into one of those changing rooms.” She had stirred his desire back to life.

“Oh _reallllly_?” Her eyebrows rose up and she glance at him up and down. “I do have to try on this dress you found.”

“Kate you are messing with fire.” He shifted his jeans slightly and forced himself to calm down. There were too many people in the store, and he wasn’t about to be teased to no end from his cousin for getting a hard-on in public.

“Mmm you started it. Looking sexy in that suit.” She bit her lower lip again and considered his reaction. “But I do need to try on the dress. Which one did you find?” She tore her gaze away from him. He made her blood heat with his words, and she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be comfortable having sex in a changing room. _‘But making out in one...?’_

Niko let out a shaky breath. He would need to get his act together. _‘This dinner is going to be the longest of my life…’_ He looked around at the dresses and saw the mannequin he spotted earlier. He walked over to it and searched for the matching rack. He could hear Kate follow him. He had seen the color out of the corner of his eye when they had walked by earlier, and he wondered what she would think of it.

“This is it.” He pulled a dress from the rack and held it out for her to see. It was a deep red, almost a maroon, and it was made of the softest silk he had ever felt. It had a small scoop neck, and three-quarter length sleeves. The hem would rest just above her knees. It was modest but would still hug her curves the way he liked.

She reached out and touched her fingers to the soft silk. It felt lightweight, and it wouldn’t rub on her too much. She looked up to Niko to see his expression. He had schooled his features, wanting to see how she felt before he let her know how he liked it.

“Niko it’s beautiful.” She took the hanger from him and held it up to her frame. “What do you think?”

“As I tend to call you beautiful all the time, the dress would match. But I would much rather see it on you, than on the hanger.”

“I’ll go try it on, but you will have to wait till tomorrow to see it on me.” She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled playfully.

“So you got to see me try on the suit, but I have to wait?” He crossed his arms and shook his head, but he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

“I was going to put it on for you when we got back to your apartment, just so you can take it back off.” She snorted at the look he sent her. He was midway through shaking his head when he paused. His eyebrows had shot up his forehead and he stared at her in disbelief. “Just try to not tear the zipper.” She teased him gently.

“Doesn’t have to come off, just needs to be moved up.” He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. He hoped they would be leaving soon; he was having a hard time focusing on anything other than wanting to get her clothes off. “Is there anything else you needed to get while we are here?”

“So eager to leave already Niko?” She smirked at him and walked to the rack of dresses to find her size. “I still need shoes, but Mallorie said she would help me with that.” Finding her size, she pulled it to her and draped it over her arm.

“I’ll take that to the dressing room we have set up for you, if you’d like?” The attendant had walked back over to them after helping the other female make a few purchases. “Your friend said she would be waiting for you. So you two could try on the dresses together.”

Kate handed the dress over and reached for Niko’s hand. “Are you going to go sit with Roman?”

“I’ll go make sure my cousin stays out of trouble, but I’ll be close by if you need me.” He lifted their hands and kissed her knuckles. He led her over to where he could hear Mallorie and Roman talking. She was seated on a plush bench with her shoes off waiting on Kate by the dressing rooms. Roman was holding several boxes of shoes and was having a hard time balancing them.

“Seriously Roman, it’s only a couple.” She rolled her eyes and smiled as her friend sat down next to her.

“Dear this is more than a couple. If you two will manage, I am going to steal my cousin and go back to the men’s waiting area. I have another drink waiting for me!” He set the boxes down on the floor by his fiancé’s feet and turned heading back toward his waiting drink.

“Yes yes my handsome man, go run off while we try on shoes and dresses.” She giggled at him and leaned into Kate’s shoulder, “But you will miss us bending over to buckle the straps on some of the heels. Such a shame!” She busted out laughing with the way Roman had turned back around to look at her.

“I could always be persuaded to stay!” He chuckled at the two giggling women and elbowed his cousin, “What do you say cousin?”

Niko looked back to the women and saw Mallorie shaking her head. They needed girl time. “Cousin did you not say you had a drink waiting? I think I will join you this time.” He led his cousin back to their seats, still within sight of their women.

“So you find a dress?” Mallorie waved to her fiancé as they sat down.

“Niko did. It is wonderful. You find what you were looking for?” She glanced beside her to her new friend. She was getting to like Mallorie and the easy way she teased those around her.

“Oh yes. The wedding night is going to be something else! Nice one getting Niko to go help you dress shop. Was going to be hella embarrassing asking him to let me steal Roman to go lingerie browsing.” She laughed at the thought and picked up a box Roman had set down. She had also picked out a couple of things for Kate that she would be forcing her to try on at the apartment. No dress was complete without the right undergarments.

“I can imagine. So we need black heels for tonight? Or ones that match the dresses? And different ones for tomorrow?” Kate stood up and started looking over the displays of shoes that were by the fitting rooms.

Niko had ordered a drink like his cousin. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Kate as she moved around the displays picking up different heels and laughing at things Mallorie was saying. The attendant had moved back over to them and was making suggestions on what would work best.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better cousin, I would say you were in love.” Roman had been quiet watching his cousin stare at his girlfriend. He knew the look well and could practically see the way Niko fretted over her.

“I have told you, I do not know what love is.” He picked up his glass and downed the shot. The burn had lessened his ire from his earlier confrontation with Francis and phone call with Gerry. It still rubbed him the wrong way, knowing that Francis knew just about everything that happened to Kate and knew of his past. It would be difficult to work with him from now on.

“I see it on you every time you look at her. It suits you Niko.” Roman finished his glass and set it down on the table. “So what was all that with the police officer?”

“I used to do some dirty work for him. We are even now. But he is Kate’s brother. It’s a complicated story.” He only glanced at Roman, preferring to watch over the two females as they tried on shoes, and disappeared into the changing room.

“Ah. I see. He doesn’t like you very much, does he?”

“Not really. Her other brother Patrick is a good friend. He’s the one who asked me to take Kate out for the first time.” He settled back down in the chair. He saw Kate and Mallorie exit shortly after they entered and handed a few dresses to the attendant. He could see red sleeves of the dress he picked out beneath another dress. He smiled knowing she liked the dress.

“So you have a complicated relationship with her family. No different than the way Mallorie’s family is with me. They aren’t my biggest fan. At least they weren’t till they found out I had money and had bought the two of us a nice place to live and one day raise a family in. Money, I guess changes everything, for everyone.” Roman sighed and leaned into one of his propped up hands, “Cousin, do you think she will stay faithful?”

That wasn’t something he was expecting from his cousin. He rarely ever got serious with him, and it threw him for a loop. He turned to look at Roman. He could see the doubt and anxiety cross his features. Would she stay faithful? The only thing he knew about their relationship, besides the sex Roman bragged about, was that she had only cheated the one time with Vlad. And that was the extent of what he knew of their relationship. He glanced back to see if the two women were paying attention to them. Kate was walking back and forth in a pair of black heels and was striking some silly pose that had Mallorie in tears, she was laughing so hard. He smiled at the sight of them. _‘They are like sisters.’_

“I’m not sure Roman. I do not know her as well as you do. But she seems happy and agreed to marry you. That should say something.” He wasn’t sure what else he could say. He could relate somewhat. He was cheated in a sense with Michelle. What with the whole double life and turning him over to the government agency she worked for. That one still cut a little too deep for his liking. He didn’t handle betrayal very well.

“I just see the way Kate looks at you, and she only sees you cousin. It’s like nothing else catches her attention but you. And the smile she gives you- it makes me wonder if that is how Mallorie sees me.” He studied his cousin and felt a small amount of jealously bloom.

“Mallorie looks at you just the same. Don’t doubt your relationship now. You two are getting married. Something your mom and my aunt, would be very proud of. Your mom would have loved her.” Niko spoke softly. He would never tell Roman how his mother had met her end, it would crush him. He was never used to being so personal with Roman. Their relationship faded when Roman was sent to America, and he was left to fight in the wars. It was a tough relationship, one that they had been working on since he stepped off that ship.

“She would, wouldn’t she?” Roman let a small smile grace his face. He missed his mother at times. “Say, will you do me a favor?”

Niko narrowed his eyes. Roman’s favors were never small, and it usually led to some big shootout. “Ask, and I’ll see.”

“I need to pick up our wedding rings later today. I was wondering if you’d be willing to go with me. When we stop by later for the girls to get ready together, maybe we can slip out and go pick them up? It’s right down the street. Plus, I’d like you to keep them safe till tomorrow.”

The question wasn’t what he was expecting. And he really didn’t like the idea of leaving Kate alone in his apartment. She wouldn’t exactly be alone, but she hadn’t been away from his sight for an extended period of time. “You don’t ask much do you?”

“Please cousin? The rings are ready, it will not take very long.” Roman pleaded with his cousin. He trusted no one but him to hold on to the rings. He had worked hard to be able to buy them, and it was a surprise for Mallorie. “She doesn’t know I got them.”

“I will help you. What excuse are you going to give for us to just leave?” It would need to be good. Kate wouldn’t let him leave if it wasn’t for a good reason.

“I will tell her it’s to go pick up something for the honeymoon. She has her surprise for me, and I have one for her. She won’t dig too much. She likes surprises.” Roman shrugged, it wouldn’t be too hard to get out of the apartment.

“Is it okay if I tell Kate the real reason? She won’t say a word to Mallorie.” Niko watched as the two women boxed up the shoes they wanted and hand the attendant the boxes. “It looks like they are finishing up.”

“That is fine, just swear her to secrecy.” Roman stood up and started to head over to Mallorie, Niko following behind slowly. It still amazed him sometimes how dependent he had become on Niko since he arrived in Liberty City. He had lived here for ten years, and once Niko arrived it was like he was new to the city all over again.

“You about ready hun? I need to go home and pack up everything I’ll need to get ready at Niko’s.” Mallorie stretched and hugged her fiancé.

“Yeah let’s go check out and we can head back home. Get some rest before the big dinner.” Roman returned her hug and smiled down at her. He was one lucky guy.

“I got this cousin. You two head home. It is my treat.” Niko nodded at his cousin. He would take care of the bill here.

Mallorie threw her arms around Niko’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Oh you! You spoil us too much! At least let me pay for dinner tonight!” She released Niko and hugged her new friend, “And I’ll see you in a couple of hours to get ready.” She leaned up to Kate’s ear and whispered quietly to her, “He is a keeper for sure. I’d nail his ass down quickly!” Kate blushed lightly with her words and only nodded for her.

“Okay you two, see you in a couple of hours!” Roman smiled at his cousin and led his excited female toward the exit of the store.

“I’ll have them bring the suits and dresses to my apartment!” Niko called after them and saw Roman wave that he had heard.

“That was really nice of you Niko.” Kate smiled at him and took his hand as they walked up to the checkout counter.

“They deserved a wedding gift. It is really no big deal.” Niko saw the attendant from earlier and walked up to her. “I’ll be paying for the things they picked out. You did a good job today watching over them.” Kate squeezed his hand lightly in thanks for everything.

“It was no problem sir. They were a joy to talk to. So I have three dresses, a coat, four pair of shoes, several different items from cosmetics, and a small bottle of perfume. Will this be delivered? I couldn’t help but overhear you had just shopped at Perseus next door. If you have a delivery from there, I can be sure to add these to it, if you’d like?” She had rung up the items for them while they had said their goodbyes.

“Yes. I have three suits being delivered to my apartment by 1600. If you wouldn’t mind adding these to that delivery, it would make it easier. It’s under Niko Bellic. I don’t have a ton of space in my car. But we can take the smaller items.” Niko pulled out his wallet from a different inside pocket of his jacket. He usually didn’t carry cash on him, but he knew he would need it today.

“I will make sure everything is over there for the delivery. Here is my business card if something isn’t delivered properly.” She handed Niko a white business card. “The total is $900, will that be cash or card?”

Kate paled at the total; she had never spent so much money in one place in her life. She looked up to see Niko’s reaction, and noticed he seemed unfazed.

“That is it? I figured it would be much more. Guess you two went easy on me!” Niko chuckled and smiled at his girlfriend. He was expecting it to be a lot more money. He pulled out the cash and handed it over to her. “No change. You kept your end of the deal up.” He nodded at the lady who was pleasantly surprised by the extra hundred dollar bills he slipped her. He had said he would tip her if she did a good job, but she wasn’t expecting that.

“Thank you, sir! I hope to have your business in the future!” She smiled genuinely at the couple and bagged up the makeup, shoes, and perfume. She handed the fancy paper bags to the female and gave her a sad smile. She had seen the bruise and was told she was attacked. She was glad to know it wasn’t the man who held on to her so tenderly. She had been about ready to call the cops. “Rest up and enjoy your evening. It was a pleasure getting to speak with you.”

“Thank you for understanding. You were the perfect help today!” Kate grabbed the couple of bags and leaned into Niko’s side. She was looking forward to going back to his apartment and relaxing for a bit. She was starting to feel tired, and her body was starting to hurt with all the standing, walking, and changing of clothes. She was also fighting off the depressing thoughts that wanted to close in on her. She had been good at burying what happened down, but it kept creeping up on her, and the conversation with Mallorie had hit a couple of nerves.

“Thank you, I’m sure we will be back.” Niko led her away from the counter and back out into the cold streets of Middle Park. The sky had started to darken, and it looked like it was ready to start raining again. The temperature had dropped further and even Niko shivered at the coldness. He opened the storage compartment of the Infernus, and Kate placed the bags down inside. The two of them rushed to get inside the vehicle to escape the bitter wind that whipped at them.

“It is too damn cold outside! Thank goodness I found a jacket I liked there! I would have frozen my butt off tonight!” Kate shivered and held her hands together trying to warm them.

“This is nothing compared to the winters where I’m from. But the wind is definitely too harsh. It’ll be warm back at the apartment.” Niko started the car and turned the heated seats on. He could almost hear her teeth chattering with the way she shook.

“Thank you.” She buckled her seatbelt and leaned back into the heat that radiated from her seat.

“Let’s get back to the apartment and relax for a bit. Roman and I will need to leave when they get there later. I offered to help pick up their wedding rings. Mallorie doesn’t know. So don’t tell her. Will you be okay with her while I’m gone? I won’t be gone long. 30 minutes max.” He glanced at her as he pulled out into traffic, “I can ask Packie to come by and watch over the two of you?” He would feel better knowing someone was there to watch over her. Even if he didn’t think someone would be so bold as to break in, in the middle of the day.

“I should be, but it would be nice to have someone there. Especially Packie. I miss him. But Mallorie will be doing my makeup, so I’ll be preoccupied. That was very nice of you to help. She really has no idea. She even complained about not having a ring to show her family when he proposed.” She smiled at the conversation. They had learned a lot about each other in the hour or so they had been shopping. And getting to see Packie again made her happy. She was going to end up getting attached seeing as how their family was dwindling down…

“Your brother Gerry would like to hear from you too. I will leave you my cell phone, so you can call him or talk to me if you need to, all you would have to do is call Roman to reach me. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Speaking of cell phones. Where is yours?” Niko had looked for a phone in her room briefly but didn’t see one. He was more worried about grabbing some clothes and getting back downstairs to her before Francis said something stupid.

“They broke it as soon as they got the handcuffs on me. I had woke to what sounded like a gunshot. I had started to dial 911 when they rushed in.” She had gone quiet and still in her seat. She was shocked she had been able to say something about it without feeling like crying.

Niko reached over and pulled her hand into his, before placing it back over the gearshift. “I’m sorry. You didn’t have to tell me. I had figured something must have happened to it. I didn’t see it when I went to get your clothes.”

“It’s okay. I will probably end up telling you everything eventually. If you even want to know. I could always go back to my therapist. She helped me through my panic attacks when I was younger. She should be able to help me now.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She wouldn’t want to see him if he said no. It would be too hard to witness.

“When you are ready, and if you feel the need to tell me, I will listen. I can’t promise I won’t react poorly. I care too much about you to not feel anger or pain for what they did.” He had said it softly. He was worried she would tell him, and he would react negatively. He would give anything to go back in time and stop them from ever entering the house.

“Niko I- I don’t know where to start. And I don’t want to think about it now. I am too happy to be with you and excited to go to your cousin’s rehearsal dinner. I would rather think of those things, than dwell on this empty void that rests in my chest.” She lifted her other hand to rest over her heart, “I feel hollow sometimes, like something was taken from me. Then when I’m in your arms, I don’t feel like that. I feel safe, secure, and like I don’t have any flaws.” Her eyes watered and she forced the tears back. She shook her head, getting mad at herself for almost crying. She had just spent the morning and early afternoon in utter bliss and now she was falling back into the darkness.

“Look at me Katie.” She turned to look into his face as they pulled up at a stoplight. “I may not be the best person on the planet. Hell I’ve done some pretty messed up things, but I can promise you, as long as I live, no one will be able to take anything from you anymore. I do not see any flaws when I look at you Лепа ( _Lepa)_.” He brushed her hand with his thumb that rested on the gearshift. He would make this promise to her, and he would keep it. He would kill any and all who came for her. He would keep her safe, happy, and smiling.

A few tears tumbled down her cheeks with his words. Oh how she wanted to say it. To tell him how much she loved him. But something in the back of her mind, warned her not to. She would scare him off. She would wait for him to say it first, to wait for confirmation. She brushed the tears away lightly. He had pulled her from the darkness that wanted to settle back down on her shoulders, and his kind smile gave her butterflies. She mouthed the words _thank you_ , not trusting her voice at the moment.

He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers before lowering it back to the gearshift to change gears as he pulled away from the stoplight. “Kate I am here for you. Don’t forget that when things seem to get to be too much.” He watched the traffic as he turned back toward his apartment building. He felt her squeeze his hand. She had remained quiet and kept brushing the tears that slipped from her eyes.

“Now you don’t want me to end up in Galina’s oven, do you?” He teased her gently, wanting to say something to stop the flow of tears. It broke his heart when she cried. “Or have Gerry come after me?”

She let out a watery laugh, “No! Most definitely not!” She giggled and wiped at a few more tears. It had been what she needed to hear. She could just imagine the lovely old women stuffing a protesting Niko into a large industrial oven. And her brother, who she held a small amount of fear of, would most certainly kill Niko, “But Gerry? I don’t know about him. He might shit a brick if he knew I was dating you.” A snort tore from her and she laughed at the sound.

“Then best not let her see the tears.” He smiled at her when she laughed again, “Gerry called me while we were at Clara Krow. He asked that you call him. He is worried.”

“I will consider it. It’s been a while since I spoke to him. His arrest was hard to deal with.” _‘Guess everyone has to know what happened to me now.’_ Her mood soured with the mention of her brother. Their relationship was more complicated than the other ones. She had seen him be so ruthless, so violent. But could she blame him? She knew what he went through, could probably have stopped it if she spoke up to her father. But then, would he have turned his attention to her? And started doing what he did to Patrick and Gerry to her? She shuddered at the thought.

Niko could almost see the disgust and fear rise in her eyes. He needed to change the subject fast, “How are you feeling physically? You’ve been doing a lot of moving around, I know you are bound to be sore and hurting.”

“I could go for another pain pill if you have some to spare. I won’t lie, my legs, back, chest, wrists- they all ache.” She pulled her sleeves up so she could inspect the red welts and bruises on her wrists.

“I have some more. Maybe I can rub your feet while you relax on the couch? Help keep your mind off things?” He gave her a sideways smile, before pulling up to his reserved parking spot in front of the apartment building, noticing the black Comet missing. Brucie must have been itching to get his hands on it. Tom moved to open the door of the building for a couple of people who exited the complex. “Now do you need me to go stop Tom from opening the door for you? Give you a minute?” He looked back to his girlfriend.

“No I’m good. I’d rather be upstairs. I could go for another shower if you don’t mind. Should help me relax.” She smiled weakly at him and wiped at her eyes again, “Then maybe that foot rub?”

“Okay _._ Whatever you need.” He kissed her hand one last time before getting out of the vehicle. He opened the small trunk of his car and pulled the bags out, and then tucked his bulletproof vest down into one of the bags. Last thing he needed was Tom asking about the vest and bullets. He walked over to her side of the car and opened the door for her. Kate stood on shaky legs and Niko braced her with his free hand.

“Sorry. I’m good. Just a little weak from standing for so long.” She wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him for support.

Niko lightly pushed the door closed with his foot, not wanting to scratch the paint. But he didn’t want to put down the bags or let go of Kate. “Then let’s get you inside so you can take a shower. Use the bench that’s in there if you need to.” Together they both headed toward the open door that Tom held.

“Good Afternoon, I took a package up to your loft. It wasn’t from the stores you mentioned, and the gentleman was adamant that I do not tell you what it was.” Tom nodded to them both and motioned them to walk inside.

“What?” Niko stopped in his tracks and pulled Kate closer to him, not liking the idea of some stranger bringing a package to his safe house. The motorcycle guy flashed briefly through his thoughts. Not many knew the address, and he could list on one hand everyone who knew.

“I promise it is something good. Do not fret, I took the liberty of checking it first.” Tom knitted his eyebrows. He had just seen the bruise on the lady’s face and was starting to conjure all kinds of wild ideas of how it got there.

“Uh okay. Can you call me when the other delivery gets here? I’ll run down to get it.” Niko narrowed his eyes in warning. He had seen the quick glances between Kate’s face, him, and back to what he assumed was the bruise.

“Of course. Take care.” Tom paled at the look, not liking the threatening glare sent his way. He snapped to attention and smiled for the people passing by.

The pair walked into the building noticing the empty lobby. He could only guess everyone had moved on from the news and was glad no one would stop them as he guided Kate to the elevator. Kate was starting to tremble against him, and he tried to hurry them forward.

“Oh Niko! You’re back! How good to see you!” Rebecca had slightly sung her words out wanting to catch the attention of the foreign looking man. She was going to step up her game!

“Not now Rebecca.” Niko had walked them to the elevator and pushed the button roughly. He was in no mood to deal with her flirting, especially when his own girlfriend was trying to keep it together. He would deal with the annoying receptionist later. The doors dinged open and they quietly entered the small elevator. As soon as the doors closed Niko dropped the bags to the floor and pulled her to his chest. She crumpled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Niko I’m sorry! I was fine just a minute ago! They had told me no one would show up. I had called out for you, and you weren’t there. Their laughs were horrible.” The tears continued to fall like rivers down her face. She clenched her hands into the back of his jacket wanting to be closer.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner Katie. If I had known- if I had known I would have killed them long before they kicked in the front door. I would have never let them touch you or kill your mother.” He pulled her in tighter, feeling her shake with her sobs. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Niko please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave.” She shook with her sobs, she was starting to breath heavily, and her heart rate picked up. Her hands quaked where they were fisted into his jacket.

“Never Kate.” He grabbed the sides of her face and forced her to look up at him. He hated seeing her so distressed and he needed her to calm down. She trembled beneath his hands, her tears raining down to dampen them. He kissed her lips softly, just a brush of his against hers. “I will not leave. Not unless you tell me to.” He stroked her cheeks trying to remove the tears.

“I will never tell you to leave.” She kissed his lips, retuning the lightness of the kiss. “I will only ever beg you to stay.” She leaned up on her toes to kiss him again. Her hands released his jacket to move up to cup his face. She felt his hands lower to her waist and brush her sides gently.

He kissed her back adding pressure to her lips. She gladly opened for him and he explored her mouth. His hands stroked up and down her back. He was slow in his kissing, wanting to shift her mind away from what had happened. He didn’t want to rile her up, only give her something else to focus on. The doors dinged signaling they had reached their floor. His hands shifted to her bottom and he lifted her up gently causing her legs to wrap around his waist. Using one arm he braced her against him and bent down to pick up the bags with the other. Standing back up he walked them into the apartment, dropping the bags on the other side of the elevator. He didn’t break his kiss from her. Never wavered in his need to keep her occupied. His free hand returned to her bottom and he gripped her lightly. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his body.

She bit his lower lip as she pulled away, wanting to see his eyes. She always saw so much when she looked into them. He could convey entire stories to her with his eyes alone. She released his lip and ran her hand up the back of his head, lightly scratching his scalp. She loved the way he looked at her. He was always so tender with her, and his eyes softened every time she sought his gaze. Her insides fluttered when he gave her the small, genuine smile he reserved for her. She closed the distance between them and poured her soul into the kiss.

Niko felt his knees weaken slightly and he turned them to press her into the wall. She was kissing him differently then she had been earlier in the bed. This was slow, sensual, and it lacked the edge of lust. He pressed her gently into the wall, his arms and hands bracing her so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable. He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled the hairband out, causing the mass to fall around them. His other hand pressed against her lower back, wanting to feel her against him. She sighed at the contact.

Her hands slid into the collar of his jacket and lightly moved the heavy fabric from his shoulders. He removed one arm from her to let the jacket slide down it before replacing it back where he had it. He repeated the process for the other arm, letting the jacket fall to the ground. The pistol made a loud _thump_ when it connected with the wooden floors. Neither seemed to pay it any attention. Her hands continued to run along his shoulders and back slowly, not once rushing in their movement over the thin white long-sleeved shirt he wore.

He trailed kisses along her jaw and nibbled on her earlobe. She tilted her head to give him better access, her hair cascading away from where his face pressed. A small moan slipped past her parted lips with the attention he paid to her neck. He pressed kiss after kiss to the soft skin below her ear and jaw. He wanted to taste more of her delicate skin, and he lifted his leg to give her something to rest on. He lowered the hand that was laced in her hair to pull the collar of her turtleneck down, his mouth following the movement of the cloth as it descended down the pale column of her neck. He kissed her bruises lightly, not caring if someone else had put them there, she was his now, and he would reclaim every inch of her.

Kate gasped when he kissed over the blood bruises. He had been so gentle when he placed his lips against the marks that marred her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it surprised her. He had lowered her to rest against his thigh and she pulled herself up him to wrap her legs tighter around his waist. She didn’t like the small separation that had formed between them. Her hands wove their way down his back and gripped handfuls of his shirt. She tugged slowly, pulling the fabric up the strong muscles of his back, wanting to feel his warm skin beneath her fingers.

Niko pinned her to the wall and repeated the process of removing one arm from her then the other to get his shirt off. He tugged the shirt over his head and threw it toward the couch. His hands sought the edge of her turtleneck and slowly pushed it up her body. If he was going to be shirtless, she would be too. It was getting in the way of her lovely skin, and he wanted to taste it all.

“Oh!”

Her surprised gasp and stillness made his movements stop. He looked up into her face to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were open wide and held such a look of wonder on them. Niko followed her gaze over to the kitchen island bar. His eyes widened at what he saw. Sitting atop the wooden island was a huge bouquet of white roses in a fancy glass vase. Next to it was a very large, and _very_ expensive bottle of champagne.

“Did you order me flowers?”

Her hands ran along the tops of his shoulders and he shook at the feeling of her nails as they lightly scratched his skin. He felt a little upset at the fact that he _hadn’t,_ and someone had beat him to it. Gently he lowered her to the ground, making sure her feet were steady before releasing her. He took Kate’s hand and walked over to the island to get a closer look. He noticed a small envelope laying in front of the arrangement. Kate lifted a hand to trace over the petals of the flowers, her face showing awe at how pretty it looked.

Niko grabbed the envelope and opened it, wanting to know who would send such a thing to his place. _‘And who is cock blocking me…’_ He felt himself lose the edge and his heartrate was lowering.

‘Niko, Forgive me. I will do better at accepting the two of you. Enjoy the champagne. See you at dinner – Francis’

He smirked at the handwriting before turning it over,

‘Katie, I am sorry for what happened. I will work on making things right, and I hope that we can be closer as family. We are all we have left. – Francis’

“Wow this is very nice of him.” Kate had leaned into his shoulder to read the note. She recognized her brother’s handwriting before even reading the first words. Her hand absentmindedly running along the indention of Niko’s spine.

“It is. Not like him to do this though. You want a glass when you get done with the shower?” Niko kissed the top of her head and silently thanked Francis for the apology. It was overdone, but Kate seemed to love the flowers. And maybe he would be able to get lucky once she was done with the shower. If they had the time to. If he knew Mallorie, she would be early.

“I would love that. Be out in a bit!” She walked over to where his shirt had landed on the back of the couch and picked it up, before heading down the hall to the bathroom.

He shrugged at her actions and went to go pick up his discarded jacket. He pulled the pistol out and headed for the bedroom. He carefully placed it down on the nightstand. Bending down he worked on getting them both a pain pill. He wouldn’t admit it to her, but his body was hurting from the bullets he took during the shootout. Placing his stash back into the nightstand, he pulled out the first aid kit and went to work on making another bandage for Kate. He figured she would end up taking off the bandage to wash again. She had showered so many times since getting to his place, that he began to wonder if it was just to scrub at her skin, or if she genuinely felt dirty. The sound of running water greeted him and he knew she would be a few more minutes.

He tossed his jacket onto the bed and kicked his shoes off toward the end of the bed, figuring he might as well get comfortable for a bit before having to get dressed in a suit. He grabbed his tank top from earlier and pulled it over his head. With the pain pills, bandage, ointment, and tape in hand, he walked back into the kitchen. He placed the items down by the roses. He was a little shocked to see such a large arrangement sitting in his apartment. But then again, Francis had looked pretty shaken when he left them at Clara Krow. Grabbing the large bottle of champagne, he pulled his knife out of his pants pocket and tore off the foil from the bottle. Being careful, he twisted the cork till it popped up and out of the neck, making a loud _pop_. He set the bottle down and went looking for champagne glasses. He was always astonished at the lengths Roman went to making sure the place was fully stocked of everything a person could need.

Finding a set of champagne flutes in one of the upper cabinets, he poured them both a glass. He could tell by the smell that it was going to taste amazing. He wasn’t really a fan of wine, beer, or anything other than vodka. Whiskey was growing on him, only because that was the drink of choice Kate had every time they went to a bar. He would need to stock up the bar soon. He had only the half empty bottle of vodka in the liquor cabinet.

The water was still running in the shower, and it would give him time to call Packie. He wanted someone at the apartment who could shoot a gun should someone try to make a move while he was away from Kate, and he trusted Packie to watch out for his sister. Pulling out his cell phone he quickly dialed the number and waited for him to answer.

_“This better be Niko and not my sister calling trying to get love advice from me.”_ Packie had all but sung the words into the phone, causing Niko to snort.

“Definitely not Kate. I need to ask a favor of you.”

_“Shoot Niko. Whatcha need?”_

“I need you to come stand guard while Roman and I step out of the apartment for a bit. It won’t be for long, but I would feel better knowing someone was here watching over the girls. I have champagne opened. You can make yourself comfortable. Kate said they would be doing girl things getting ready for the dinner tonight.”

_“Uh yeah sure. Why you leavin’ my sis alone?”_

“Not by choice. But I will only be gone for about thirty minutes.”

_“Yeah yeah alright. Send me the address and I’ll be there.”_

“Thank you,” looking over at the clock on the wall he saw they had about an hour till the delivery would arrive of their clothes, which meant Mallorie and Roman would be over shortly after. “Trying getting here at 1630. We will leave as soon as you get inside.”

_‘No prob Niko. See you soon.”_ The line went dead.

_‘At least I won’t have to worry too much about leaving Kate and Mallorie alone.’_ Niko let out a long sigh, he could feel how tiring and drawn out this was all going to be. He knew that Jimmy would be gunning for him, and gunning hard, and he wouldn’t put it past him to target the wedding or their festivities tonight. Walking over to the makeshift liquor cabinet, he pulled the bottle of vodka out and took a heavy swig of it, then put it back in the cabinet. He would need to not drink at the dinner in case something did happen. Perhaps he should check out the layout of Jerkov’s to know all the entrances and exits.

Grabbing the laptop off the bar, he tucked it under his arm, and picked up the two glasses of champagne. Carefully he walked over to the couch and set the glasses down on the coffee table. Moving the blankets and pillows down to the far end of the couch, Niko sat down in his usual spot and opened the laptop. Pulling up the internet, he noticed he didn’t have any new emails, which gave him a small moment of relief. He wasn’t ready to discover more video evidence or respond to crazed killers. Quickly he started a search for the restaurant to see if people had photos posted on the web.

Kate took an unsteady breath. She had scrubbed every inch of herself and still felt dirty. It was like the men had permanently left flesh memories on her skin, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling of them off of her. There was only one person who could force the nightmares from resurfacing, and he was waiting out on the other side of the door. She had gotten fairly worked up when they had returned to the apartment. His hands had felt heavenly on her bottom, and he had almost removed her top. A blush creeped up on her cheeks.

She looked into the mirror and berated the marks she could see everywhere. The bruise on her face, the newly developing ones on her neck, and scabbing line along her collarbone. She hated all of it. She prayed Mallorie would be able to work some magic to hide the hideousness of it all. All she wanted was for Niko to see her as he did before. To see the smooth unmarred skin, and not feel reluctant to have him touch her.

Mallorie had been correct in her assumption. She really wasn’t hung up on waiting. It had just ended up being that way. She was a 28 year old virgin. Her brothers ran everyone off who looked her way, she had become consumed with work and taking care of her family, and when she finally got a moment to breath and focus on herself, the years had flown by. She was a mess, and she knew it, but even through all the drunken ranting at Niko, he continued to take her out. Even after the horrible way she treated him and gave him every reason to leave- he didn’t. He kept coming back, calling her to hang out. Maybe it was his way of wanting a break? It was definitely the highlight of the day when he’d swing by her work or mother’s home to come get her.

And now look at them- Dating, recovering, grieving, kissing, touching, _wanting._

She felt a yearning to be in his arms, to feel his hands roam over her. She picked up the white long sleeve shirt off the counter. Mallorie had given her a couple of ideas, and maybe it was time to let go of the doubt, worry, stress, and just _live._ To learn to feel joy again.

Niko had stumbled upon a website that made restaurant reviews and there were loads of photos. Ones of the dishes they served, specialty drinks, the private dining rooms, and the main dining room and bar. He was scoping out the main entrance when two hands descended down from his shoulders to his chest. The fingers splaying out to take up as much space as they could.

“Whatcha looking at?” She had practically purred the words before kissing the soft skin just below his ear, nibbling on his skin as she rubbed her hands over him.

“What kind of food they have at this place.” He reached for her hands trying to still them so he could fight off the burning desire that was wanting to spring up.

_“Liar.”_ She kissed down his neck before pulling away.

The laptop snapped shut at the tone of voice she used. ‘ _Fuck hiding it, get over here Kate!’_

She trailed her hands up his body to his shoulders, removing them as she made her way around the couch. She took her time, trying to build the confidence to do what she wanted to do. And made a silent prayer that it worked the way she envisioned it.

Niko had closed the laptop and watched as she made her way around the couch to stand where she stood earlier that morning, only this time she had on his thin, long sleeve white shirt on. He felt his mouth go dry. It barely fell down to the top of her thighs, and he could see the shape of her breasts through the shirt. It had to be the hottest thing he had ever seen. Her hair was wet and was slowing dripping water onto her shoulders and chest. She had a small blush across her cheeks.

Hesitantly she moved forward and grabbed the laptop, lightly tossing it to the end of the couch on top of the blankets and pillows. Then she took a steadying breath and straddled his lap, lowering herself to sit on him. Her body tingled with the nervousness that kept running up and down her spine. She could barely keep her hands from shaking. She never broke eye contact, needing to see if what she was doing was good or not. Or if he was about to protest.

_‘Don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop. Fucking hell where is this coming from!’_ Niko immediately grabbed her hips and pulled her forward, so she rested right on top of his hardening member. He had to be dreaming. He must have fallen asleep looking at pictures of the entrances and exits of Jerkov’s. Since when did his timid, shy, and unsure girlfriend have the guts to just come take charge? He knew if she didn’t protest, he was going to take her. Right here and now.

His eyes had darkened to almost black and had taken on such a heated expression. His lips twitched into a smirk when he pulled her closer. She felt her muscles clench at the look and a dampness started to form between her legs. She felt something throb under her and she moved her hips to be able to rub against it. She was greeted by a throaty moan. She glided her hands down to the hem of his tank top, missing the ability to touch his skin, and slowly began to move it upwards. Her knuckles brushed every single ridge of his six-pack as she pulled the fabric up.

Niko leaned forward and helped pull off his tank top, tossing it in the direction of the laptop. His hands immediately reattaching to her body. He slid his hands along the top of her thighs and back over the rounding of her butt to the cotton of her underwear. He felt the shudder under the pads of his fingers as he moved his hands higher, hooking his thumbs along the seam of his long sleeve shirt. He leaned back into the couch wanting to be able to see her as he revealed her skin.

His hands were sending wave after wave of pleasure through her body. She felt a small bit of panic when his hands slid to her sides and started to pull the top up, his thumb running over one of the scabs. It must have been enough of a jolt that he stopped his upward movement. Instead he lowered the top and continued his stroking of her thighs and curve of her butt, tracing the edge of her panties. She let out a frustrated groan. She was not about to backdown.

Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to his waiting lips, “Niko I don’t know if I- you might- fuck it.” In one fluid motion she pushed back to rest on her calves and pulled the top off, chucking it toward the end of the couch.

Niko drank in the sight of her. His eyes widened at her bare skin that was displayed before him. Her skin shimmered in the dim light of his apartment. Her breasts were full, and the nipples had pebbled as the cool air settled on her. His hands immediately left the safe place of her hips and smoothed her skin on their way up to touch her. He had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life. He hesitated when he reached her ribcage. He looked up into her face asking for permission to touch her.

His hands were making her have goosebumps. They were so gentle and so slow in their trek up her body. And when he paused just shy of her breasts, she could've cussed at him. Her head had fallen back at his touch but when he stopped moving, she tilted it back down to see what was wrong. His face was soft, and his eyes had cleared of the lust she had seen there. He looked at her with such devotion and affection.

"You are so beautiful Katie." He had spoken the words tenderly and he had meant every word. She was like an angel to him. Brought down from heaven to save his soul from the darkness he walked.

"You make me feel beautiful Niko." She rolled her hips on him and moaned at the contact. She leaned closer to him and kissed his lips, wanting to- no needing to feel his body under hers. She wanted him to take her over the edge, to make her body quake in the euphoric waves of pleasure she knew he was capable of producing in her. "Please Niko, I need more."

He tugged her to him and cupped one of her breasts in his hand rolling the nipple between his fingers softly. He latched his mouth to the other one, flicking his tongue over the stiff peak. A pleading whine ripped from her throat. And he groaned at the sound. His jeans were getting increasingly uncomfortable, and the couch was not big enough for him to do what he wanted to do. Giving one last roll to her nipple, he moved his hands down to her bottom, and lifted them both off the couch. Her legs and arms wrapped tightly around him. If she wanted more, he was going to give it to her.

“ _Niko_ ” she had whispered his name against his mouth when he went to capture her lips again.

He jerked her against him, “Say it again.” He groaned at her. He wanted to hear his name drop from her lips again, over and over.

“ _Niko_ please.” She begged in the sweetest way to him, and it lit a fire deep inside him. He would make this about her, and he would make sure he knew every single crevice of her before he took her over the edge. He carried her toward the bedroom and kissed her deeply, her arms and legs tightening around him.

He reached the edge of the bed and he knelt over it, crawling onto it before gently laying her down beneath him. He kissed her lips, chin, neck, and down to the junction of her collarbone where he knew she liked it. The lightest of moans floated past his ears and he latched on to her skin, wanting to hear more from her. His hands found the mounds of her chest again and massaged them as he placed his own marks to her skin. She was his now and he was going to be the only one allowed to leave hickies behind.

He moved off of her and stood up off the bed. She leaned up on her elbows wanting to see what he was doing. His jeans dropped down his legs to pool around his ankles and he stepped out of them, kicking them back toward the dresser. He ran his hands up her legs as he crawled back onto the bed. She scooted backwards giving him space to lay more fully with her. She opened her legs for him to be able to rest between them and he leaned down into her, capturing her lips once more in a passionate kiss. His arms wrapped around her body, his hand fisting in her hair, the other one sliding down beneath her panties to grab the soft flesh of her ass. He ground down into her causing both of them to moan at the sensation.

She was on such a body high. Every single touch, brush, rub, kiss- it was building her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her hold on him, forcing his body to be as flush to hers as she could get. She couldn’t make up her mind on where she wanted to touch him. His back, sides, neck, into his hair, back down to his boxers. It was as if her body had a mind of its own.

Niko paused in his assault of her mouth, leaning up enough to look into her eyes. She was flawless to him. And he would never be able to look at any other female. She was perfect for him, in every sense of the word. Her hair was a vibrant splash of color against the lightness of her skin, and her eyes shone up at him. He didn’t see the wounds first, he saw only her- he saw someone who wanted to love him unconditionally, in whatever way he would let her. He saw all of her in this moment.

“Niko?” Doubt crept up in her eyes and she lightly traced the edge of his jaw.

“You are so beautiful Kate.” He murmured the words again before kissing her lightly. He knew she would need to cross a few barriers before he could just take her. He didn’t want her first time to be painful. He shifted his weight off of her and rolled to his side, moving her with him. He tucked her slightly curled hair back behind her ear. He couldn’t help but keep thinking about how lucky he was to here with her. He had always held a soft spot for her, but she had made it known they were only friends. It was a challenge to get to know her with how guarded she had been. Now he would be able to know all of her, in the most intimate of ways.

She had let a small smile form at his words. “Only for you.” She trailed her fingers along his cheek before sliding her hand back to run through his short hair. He made her heart flutter every time he said such things to her. It was as if he knew what she wanted to hear, and simply let her enjoy it. His accent tended to get accentuated when they were close, and it made her think he was possibly nervous.

“Only for me?” He chuckled at her and let his own smile mirror hers. His hands had settled back onto her waist. He found they fit perfectly on her curves and it was a turn on for him. She fit perfectly against him and it was like he was getting to be with the girl of his dreams. She shifted slightly and brushed her other hand up his chest to rest over his heart. It felt good to have her touch him so. It had been so long since a woman touched him in ways that made him feel needed.

“Yes, only for you.” She pecked his lips and moved back to look into his eyes, “Unless I’m supposed to be with someone else?” She teased him lightly.

“ _Mine_ ” He growled in his native tongue. His hand slid up into her hair and cupped the back of her head, pulling her forward to crash his lips against hers. His other hand moved to the closest breast and began to tease it. He pushed his weight into her causing her to lay back into the bed, but he kept himself propped up on his side, continuing to kiss her lips and caress her ample chest.

She didn’t know the word he had said, but his tone had shot a spear of desire straight to her core. She fisted her hands into the bedsheets beneath her, needing to hold on to something as he continued to touch her, bring pleasure to her, kiss her senseless. She felt herself clench her insides as he moved down to kiss her neck, her body tensing up in anticipation. His mouth was doing wonders to her skin, leaving behind this tingling sensation wherever he placed his lips. “ _Oh Niko!”_

He continued to kiss every inch of her neck and collarbone. He was stalling really. He wanted to go further with her but do it in a way that wouldn’t scare her or cause her to remember anything that happened. He prepared himself to stop if she panicked. But she had felt so warm and wet pressed to him earlier and he wanted to feel her, to know what lay beneath the soft cotton of her underwear. He slowly moved his hand down from her breast to lay on her ribcage, smoothing over the skin as he moved back up to kiss her swollen lips. He would distract her, keep her mind from thinking too much, and test the boundaries.

She felt a little disappointed when his hand moved away from her breast. But his mouth had returned to hers and she always melted under his kisses. There was just this way that he moved his lips that caused her body to simply just relax and unwind. Except for this tight feeling below her navel. That kept twisting tighter and tighter, wanting her to do something about it. She had asked questions about it to Mallorie, and her answer had surely turned her new shades of red. His hand began to stroke her skin again and the fuzzy fog settled over her mind again, almost like it was asking her to stop worrying and questioning everything- to just let what happens, happen.

He had taken up making slow soothing circles over her ribcage and stomach, inching his way down to the edge of her underwear. He couldn’t wait to dip his fingers into the soft folds and feel the heat of her. But he would take his time, build her up, make sure she was okay with it all. The tips of his fingers brushed the lining of the soft cotton. She pressed herself more firmly to his hand in a timid fashion. He changed the angle of his hand and slid down to cup her. He opened his eyes to gauge her reaction.

She hadn’t even known what he was working toward, but once his fingers had graced the edge of her panties, her body just simply reacted. Her hips lifted and slightly bucked into his hand. The action causing her to stir into conscience thought. Then when his hand cupped her, she went stiff. Her eyes flew open and were greeted by the caring, concerned ones of Niko. She was scared to think, scared that if she put too much thought into it, she would have flashbacks. But the longer she searched his eyes for answers, the more she felt the need to feel him move his hand. Calmly she lifted her hand to brush the side of his face. He always looked at her with such reverence.

“Kiss me Niko.”

He leaned down to her and lovingly placed a kiss to her lips. She returned it just as delicately. Then her hips nudged upwards as if asking him to move. He moved his hand agonizingly slow over her, creating a crease in her underwear as he applied pressure. He explored every crevice being sure to rub where her clit was, letting his movements be slow, but steady. Every time he brushed against the top of her opening, she would moan low her in chest. Then the faintest of brushes caused him to jump.

She was in heaven; of that she was sure. The heat and pressure from his hand and fingers sent her heart into overdrive. There was no way that just a simple rubbing of one area could cause her who body to throb in ecstasy. Her limbs felt useless to her and at some point, her arm that held her hand to his face dropped down to the bed with a thud. She knew she wouldn’t be able to focus much longer, and the burning need to just tumble over the edge was getting closer. But she wanted to return the favor. One of her arms was tucked between their bodies, her hand dangerously close to his crotch. Unsure of how to do it properly, she turned her hand and let her fingers brush along his length.

Had she just? Then the slightest of touches ran the length of his penis. His whole body froze at the contact. He broke the kiss to be able to see her face, to figure out what she was getting at. Her eyes were closed, and a peaceful expression was splashed across her features, her lips were swollen with all the kissing they had done, and a light hue of pink graced her cheeks. She brushed along him again with more force, the angle of her arm and hand making it difficult to hold him the way he liked. It had sent a surge of want down his spine and settle down in his sack. _‘It has been too long’_

Kate tried rubbing at him again since he had stopped moving. Hoping she was at least bringing some form of pleasure to him. His hand over her panties had felt nice, but if they were going to move things along, he would need to touch her. She had been fine with him touching her breasts, and that worried her more, since most of the abuse was geared toward them. But one of the men had managed to feel her up and had found her barrier still intact. That’s when she had bit down on the other one who had tried unceremoniously shove his penis in her mouth. Things had gone violent after that.

_‘NO! Stop thinking about it!’_ She had shuddered at the memory and instinctively grabbed Niko’s wrist to keep him from moving on her. She forced herself to drown out their voices, to only think of Niko and the happiness he brought her. She would not let some sick men ruin what was happening. She wanted to share herself with only one person, and she was positive he was looking at her worriedly. She cracked her eyes open to confirm her fears. He was worried and looked ready to pull away from her.

“I can stop if you need me to.” His accent had thickened, and he looked to be trying to calm himself down.

That was not what she wanted to hear right now. Her hand on his wrist loosened and she tugged it upward, moving her own to lay on top of his. Slowly she guided his hand down and under her underwear, moving him to where he pressed to her center.

His eyes widened considerably. She was smooth, impossibly smooth, and _bare._ He could feel some of her juices as his middle finger slid down the length of her opening, the heel of his hand stopping just above it. Her hand firmed on his and kept him still. He could hear her breathing rapidly, but he couldn’t read any negative emotions from her eyes. She never looked away from him and she sucked in her lower lip to chew it softly.

“Niko don’t stop, please.” She pressed his hand to her with more force, “I need this. I need you.”

“Добри Бог Kate. ( _Dobri Bog_ )” He buried his face into the crook of her neck and sucked down on her skin. He felt her move her hand away from his and it came to rest on his forearm. It was like getting permission to have dessert before dinner. The excitement built inside him and he shifted his hand to be able to find her entrance. He curled his middle finger toward her opening and circled around, using his index and ring fingers he spread her open for him to find all the sensitive spots. She was incredibly soft, and tantalizingly wet.

“Oh my God _Niko_!” Her eyes fluttered closed in bliss. She thought his hand felt good over her underwear, but it paled in comparison to this. She dug her nails down into his skin when he spread her open. He was rubbing, circling, and teasing her in ways she had never imagined possible. She twisted her arm and reached for his boxers finding the opening easily, before dipping her hand in to grab hold of him. His flesh was smooth, but he was hard, and flexing against her palm.

He detached his mouth from her neck and ravaged her mouth. She was going to get him to finish much too soon for his liking. It felt like ages since another female had grabbed him. He used the distraction to push the tip of his middle finger inside her. He would go slow, would need to with the way her walls gripped his finger, and he wasn’t even knuckle deep. Her tightness caused him to moan.

He had pushed his finger inside her, and the feeling of it made her see stars briefly. Her muscles clamped down on his appendage with the new sensations he was creating. She rocked her hips up toward his hand wanting to feel the sensation again. He pulled his finger out a little then pushed back in. _‘Oh that is even better!’_

He continued to gently pump his finger in and out of her, going further each time, allowing her to get used to the feeling. Her hand on him was slowly mimicking his motions and he felt his insides tighten up. He broke the kiss from her and trailed kisses down her neck to her chest, using his other hand to prop himself up to be able to pull a nipple into his mouth. The noise she made caused him to glance up and her, only to smirk around her flesh as he saw her eyes cloud over with pleasure. That’s when he felt her walls flutter lightly and a new flow of wetness coat his finger. _‘So soon? Guess I’ll have to make you go again…’_

She felt her body tense up before the wave of completeness washed over her. Her body felt lax, completely at ease, then she felt Niko move his finger again and it was like the proverbial cup started to fill up again. He was moving it quicker, deeper, and it was making her quake with an intense surge of need. Then she felt more pressure down there and realized he had inserted a second finger. She arched her back at the feel of it and rocked her hips into his hand.

“So eager, are we?” Niko’s voice dripped with a sexual vibrato, and it caused her to rock once more into his hand. “Have it your way.” He leaned back up to kiss her lips once, then backed away. He wanted to watch as he sent her over the edge again. Her eyes were closed, and her head turned from side to side, her hand on him gripping harder and moving faster up and down his shaft, the other one fisted into the comforter of the bed. He set a rhythm of pumping his fingers in and out pushing her walls to open more for him, trying to get her used to feeling full, because when it came time for him to enter her, he knew it would be tight.

That’s when he felt it. Something he had never felt before in all of his previous encounters with women. Her barrier. It sent another shot of want through him and he had to fight himself from just pulling her panties off and burying himself in her. He had stilled his motions when he hit it, unsure if she would be okay with breaking it.

He had been making her feel so many incredible things. She was completely unaware of the internal dilemma. All she wanted was for him to keep going, to keep up his ministrations of her body. So when he paused, she took the opportunity to spread her far leg out to give him better access. She bent her knee and moved it up toward herself on the bed.

Her movement was permission enough for him. He started up again but added another finger, wanting to feel her walls when they clamped down. He thrust his fingers into her harder and deeper, but slower, watching her face for signs of pain. He wasn’t sure what to expect when her barrier broke.

“Don’t stop- Niko! I- Oh my God. That feels so good!” She felt the coil inside of her twist so tight she felt like she was going to burst at any moment. He kept bumping something inside her. She had no idea what it was, but it wasn’t painful, and he wasn’t moving fast enough for her. She removed her hand from the bed and grabbed his wrist, pulling on it to get him to move quicker.

He tucked his leg over hers that was closest to him and spread her more open for him, then changed the angle of his hand. If she wanted to go, he was going to make her go. Her voice had gone pitchy and she was chanting his name over and over in the way he loved. Her hand had stilled on him, but he didn’t seem to mind, he was enjoying watching her pant, shake, and thrash around at what he was doing to her body. He quickened his pace at her instruction, hitting her barrier every time he pushed in. Her walls were gripping his fingers and he knew she was close, so very close. Her climax in sight.

With one final push in, he felt her barrier give, and her muscles clamp down _hard_. She had tensed up and had arched her back off the bed, her mouth open on a silent ‘oh’. A sheen of sweat had formed on her body and she glowed in the dim light from the lamps in the room. With one big gulp of air she collapsed down into the bed, panting with the exertion of the most intense orgasm she had ever had. Her hands fell away from him and she greedily sucked in lungsful of air. Gently he removed his fingers from her, seeing how coated they were from her.

“Oh _Niko_! I-!” She was at a loss for words. Everything throbbed and tingled from the tops of her ears to the tips of her toes. She felt flushed, tired, and so very relaxed. She turned her head in his direction and found the strength to crack open her eyes a little.

He chuckled at her post orgasm look. It was probably the most relaxed and happy he had ever seen her. Carefully he lowered down to the bed to lay next to her, propping his head up on his hand so he could look down at her. “Yes Kate?”

“Mmm. Too tired to talk. Snuggles?” She attempted to roll over to him but only managed to lift her shoulder before plopping back down to the bed.

“Let me go get the pain pill you wanted and the champagne, then we can _snuggle_ all you want, till Packie gets here.” He leaned up and kissed her lips lightly before getting off the bed. He glanced back at her and noticed she was drifting between sleep and being awake. A smirk pulled at his lips and he shook his head. She had definitely riled him up something fierce. He would need to go take care of it before coming back to bed with her.

She heard his footfalls as he headed back toward the kitchen. Everything felt heavy and tired, like weights had been strapped to her muscles. She had felt something snap and she was starting to get increasingly worried about it. She also felt a ton of wetness down there and she was wondering if she was bleeding. That thought alone gave her the strength to open her eyes and slowly sit up. Lifting her hand, she touched herself and brought it back up to her face to see if any blood had come away. Not seeing any caused her curiosity to come to life. _‘Maybe I just need to go to the bathroom to get a better look.’_ With that thought in mind she mustered the ability to slide off the bed and make the short trek into the bathroom.

Niko heard the bathroom door open and close. He glanced down the hall and strained his ears to listen for any sounds of distress. He hoped she wasn’t crying or regretting what he did. He had left the pain pills on the counter with her bandage and knew he would need to get it on her soon. He hadn’t noticed it during their activity, but he was sure it was bothering her. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the champagne flutes and carried them over to the bar. He placed them down and decided he would see how she felt first before bringing everything into the bedroom. He hadn’t heard any running water, and she had been silent inside.

Quickly walking down the hall he stood outside the bathroom door. He raised his fist to knock and hesitated. Was everything okay? Had he messed up already and gone too far? He swallowed and figured he might as well find out. _‘No point in guessing, might as well just ask.’_

“Katie, you okay?” He called through the bathroom door, knocking against it.

Kate hurriedly flushed the toilet and went to washing her hands. She had nearly jumped out of her skin when he called out to her. She had been checking herself and trying to make sure nothing was torn or bleeding when he had called out. It hadn’t hurt, but it definitely felt like something had snapped inside of her. But when no blood showed, and she couldn’t feel any pain when she moved around, only one thought came to mind… _‘He broke my virgin barrier’_

It both terrified her and excited her at the same time. Mallorie had spoken about how the first time would hurt if the hymen was still intact and that there were other ways to break it in order for the first time to be a little less painful. But on the other hand- she was considered no longer _virgin_ right?

“Just. Just a second.” Her voice shook with the revelation. Her mother had never really had the talk with her, and her father threatened to kill any boy that came close to her. When health class in school came around, she was incredibly mortified. She didn’t have many friends growing up, and her brothers weren’t exactly the easiest to walk up to and ask about the birds and the bees. Sunday school had told her she would go to hell if she slept with anyone outside of marriage. She was left to figure things out on her own, and it wasn’t till she started to get waxes that things came into perspective. And she concluded she had a very skewed and cynical sense of intimacy and relationships. Even her therapist told her so.

But no gates to hell opened up, no wrongness settled in, and she realized that it was okay. Her body felt good, her heart felt light, and she felt a rightness settle into her soul. Clearly she had placed the act and title on a pedestal, and placed more worth on it, than what it really needed. She still held a firm belief that it was an important act, and that it shouldn’t be done with anyone just to be satisfied. And right now, all she could think about was getting back on the bed with him and trying out more of what she had spoken to Mallorie about at the store. 

She turned to look at the door and couldn’t stop the giddy feeling that filled her. She had just given him something she didn’t think she would ever end up giving someone. And now he was out there worried about it. _‘Better go make sure he knows I’m okay.’_

“Look I’m sorry, I went too far, didn’t I?” Niko leaned against the door. He was starting to second guess everything. Did she not enjoy it? _‘I felt her tense up, I should have stopped.’_

Kate opened the door and stepped into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. His arms encircled her and held her tight. “I am more than okay Niko. You didn’t go too far. I would have stopped you. I didn’t want you to stop.” She looked up to his face wanting to make sure he knew it was okay.

“You sure? I just don’t want to hurt you.” He couldn’t let go of her. For the first time in a long time, he was regretting his actions more than usual. He held so much guilt and anger over all the murders he committed, over all the crime that followed him everywhere, and he shoved it all to the side, just to get by. And if there was one thing he genuinely didn’t want to go wrong; it was his relationship with Katie.

“You didn’t hurt me.” She leaned up and placed a kiss to his chin. “I promise.”

He pressed a kiss to her softly smiling lips. He felt his anxiety leave him in a rush, and he squeezed her to him. She was truly a miracle to him. He deepened the kiss and showed her just what her words meant to him. How the confirmation that he hadn’t overstepped or jeopardized their relationship made him feel. She eagerly returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders.

Niko’s cell phone decided to make its presence known and started ringing loudly from the inside of his jacket on the bed. They both startled at the noise and laughed at how they had jumped.

“Hold that thought.” Niko kissed her quickly again and went to answer his phone. He fished it out of the pocket and accepted the call, “Hello?”

_“Hi Niko. There is a gentleman by the name of Patrick in the lobby asking to see you. You also have a delivery from Perseus and Clara Krow. Shall I send the gentleman up with the packages?”_ Tom’s happy and chipper voice greeted him.

Niko glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was already past 1600. _‘Where did the time go?!’_ “Uh sure Tom, send him up with the delivery. Thanks for letting me know.” He ended the call and looked back at Kate as she made her way to him, still nude except for the cotton white underwear she had on. “Might want to get dressed, Packie is here, and so is the stuff we bought today.” He gave her a once over, “Even though I wish I could just put you back on my bed.”

“Packie is here?! Oh my God, where are my clothes?!” She started to rummage through her duffle bag trying to find something acceptable that wouldn’t get her teased to the ends of the earth by her brother.

Niko chuckled at her frantic searching. “Just wear my shirt again, it looked pretty damn good on you.” He smirked at the death glare she sent him.

“Oh yes and give my brother all kinds of fuel to embarrass me more.” She pulled out her pj shorts that she had worn to bed and paused. They were the only shorts in the bag, and would make getting ready in easier once Mallorie showed up.

“I have some boxers you can wear over your underwear. If you are wanting some shorts.” He had seen the far off look come and go. He opened the top drawer on the dresser and pulled out a pair of blue plaid boxers. “And you can wear my long sleeve shirt. Patrick will mind his own business. Just hurry, he will be up here any second.” He tossed the boxers down on the bed and grabbed his jeans and pulled them on, buttoning them quickly. He grabbed another long sleeve shirt from his dresser and tugged it over his head. He stepped into his shoes and grabbed his jacket from the edge of the bed. “I’ll go greet him and give you a minute to get ready. Okay?” He walked up to her side and placed his hand on the small of her back.

“I- thank you, I’ll get dressed quickly. Then come join you two in the living room.” She smiled for him and forced her nerves to settle. She was all over the place- nervous to see her brother, wishing she could just jump into Niko’s arms and pick up where they left off, mad at having every little thing remind her of what happened, excited about getting to dress up in fancy clothes and have girl time with her new friend, anxious about going into a fine dining establishment where all the rich and famous rubbed elbows, and fighting her own feelings about blurting out how much she loved Niko.

He placed a kiss to the top of her head and walked away to give her some time to get ready. He hoped Packie wouldn’t be too obnoxious about everything. He was trusting the man to watch over her and Mallorie while they stepped out for a bit. He typed a message out to Roman saying they could head over if they were ready. The sooner he got Mallorie over with her, the better he would feel. He had seen how attached they had been at the stores and knew it would be a good distraction for Kate.

Once he was in the living room, he saw his tank top and his long sleeve shirt laying on top of the couch. He rushed over and shoved them under the blankets and pillows just in time for the elevator doors to _ding_ and open. He glanced up to see Patrick struggling to hold all the dress and suit bags.

“Jesus Christ what all did you buy?” Packie yelled as he shuffled into the apartment.

“Your sister and my cousin’s fiancé like to shop.” Niko chuckled and threw his jacket over the back of the couch, then walked over and took the bags from his friend.

“Yeah no shit. Anyway, nice place!” Packie looked around and saw how nice everything looked, “Didn’t expect you to live in such a place. Guess I got you in contact with the right people. Clearly the pay was good.” He did a 360 seeing the kitchen, dining room, living space, and the hallway that he assumed went back to the bedrooms. He was greatly impressed with the place and silently thankful that Kate was brought here after everything that happened.

“My cousin bought it for us. I like the place, and he gave it to me. He bought himself another place to live in once he got engaged.” Niko shrugged and went to go hang the suits and dresses up in the bathroom closet.

“Here let me help.” Kate emerged from the hallway and went to grab the bags they had unceremoniously left by the elevator door. She had on the blue plaid boxers but put on her blue turtleneck from earlier. She smiled at Niko letting him know she appreciated the offer of his clothes.

“Lookin’ good sis!” Packie snickered at seeing her in a pair of boxers. The sight not bothering him like it would have, had it been some other dude’s pair.

“Oh you! Come here!” She threw her arms around her brother’s neck. Surprising him and herself with the hug. The McReary family had been many things over the years, but affectionate was not one of them. She was going to correct that and start letting her brothers know she cared for them and wanted to try and be a better family. They had spent so much time hating, fighting, and avoiding what they were. And with how small their family was getting; she would try harder.

“God Kate. It’s so good to see you and see you up and moving around.” Packie had returned the hug fiercely. He had felt himself missing his sister and regretting the way things had happened between them. He was always so bitter all the time, and it was just easier to lash out at the people closest to him. His sister took the brunt of his scrutiny. And he wished he could go back to the way they were when they were kids. Playing in their room with toys and making up ridiculous stories about the neighbors. Back to how innocent life was before his father took a different interest in him.

Niko watched the siblings embrace and took the time to go put the suits and dresses up in the bedroom. He could tell they needed a minute to themselves. He placed the suits in his closet and draped the dress bags over the foot of the bed. He wanted to peek and see which dress Kate might be wearing but thought better of it. _‘I’ll see it on her before I know it, just to take it off again.’_ The thought caused him to smile and shake his head. She had said she wanted him, and he offered himself to her once they got back from the rehearsal dinner. It was going to be one long dinner; of that he was sure.

“Sorry, and thank you. I needed that hug.” Kate placed the bags down on the bed next to the dresses. She glanced at Niko and smiled at the soft gaze he sent her way. “It’s been a while since I got to hug him.”

“I had figured as much.” The top of his bullet proof vest caught his attention. “I have the pain pill you wanted on the counter in the kitchen. You can go take it and I’ll finish up here.” He was trying to get her out of there so he could remove the vest. She had said she was going to start trying to accept the violent side of him, but he wanted to keep it as far away from her as he could.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you.” She kissed his cheek and went back out to where her brother was waiting.

He waited till he could hear them talking before grabbing the vest out of the bag. The bullets were a mangled, crumpled mess. They had shattered in on themselves when they connected with the vest. He brushed one with the pad of his index finger. By the size and look of them, it had come from a rifle. Probably the guy who had popped out from behind a metal container, catching him by surprise. He remembered the shock and pain that ripped through him before he put two in the man’s chest. For a shipment of H, the security around it wasn’t very well armed. None of them had on protective armor, all had makeshift weapons, or older styled guns. It confused him to no end. It was almost as if they weren’t expecting someone to just show up and wipe them all out.

_‘Or the usual crew was someplace else?’_ He shook his head and decided he could think about it later. He could hear Packie’s loud bolstering laughter and figured he might as well save his girlfriend from any undo embarrassment he was giving her. He shoved the vest beneath the bed and headed back out to the living room.

“Packie you know it’s true! Francis can apologize when the need is there.” Kate sat on the end of the couch, holding a glass of water in her hand.

“Nah Katie, Francis wouldn’t know how to grovel correctly. I’m sure he had the Doc send them for him.” Packie sat in one of the armchairs, both glasses of champagne were empty in front of him on the coffee table.

“You’re probably right on that. He wouldn’t know a rose from a daisy even if it smacked him in the face.” She laughed at the thought of Francis getting hit in the face with a bunch of flowers. She looked up as Niko walked into the room, “Care to join us?” She held up his pain pill so he could see it.

“Sure.” He sat down next to her and took the pill from her. He popped it into his mouth and took the glass of water from her and downed the pill. “You need a new bandage?” He set the glass down on the coffee table and looked to her.

“Maybe when we change clothes. But it’s good right now.” She narrowed her eyes at him, not wanting her brother to know about any injury he couldn’t already see.

“Okay.” He saw the warning, but knew if it came down to it, he would force her to take care of herself- brother be damned.

“Anyway, I was just telling Packie about the flowers and champagne Francis sent us.” She settled down into his side and got comfortable.

“And I was just telling her there ain’t no way he sent them. He didn’t even place a flower on Derrick’s grave. He has no idea how to be soft or caring.” Packie eyed the empty glasses before getting up and getting himself some more of the champagne. “You mind?” He said holding up the bottle and looking over to Niko.

“Go for it. I do not care if you drink some.” Niko shrugged and placed his arm around Kate. He was starting to feel the pain pill kicking in and he knew she would be too.

“As I was saying, he hasn’t spent the time to care. He’s not like you Niko. You at least care about our family. Hell you are family.” Packie took a big gulp from the bottle and brought it over with him, “But I will say he’s got great taste in champagne. Never really cared for the stuff, but this isn’t bad.” He took another large gulp and held it out for his sister to take.

“I’m okay thank you, I was going to wait till we get to the restaurant to drink.” She scrunched her nose at the thought of drinking from the same bottle as her brother. “Speaking of, when should Roman and Mallorie get here?” She rested her head back into Niko’s shoulder and looked up to his face. The pain pill was working its magic and she was starting to feel that haze settling down on her body.

“I can call to find out?” As if thinking about them conjured them, his phone started ringing again. “Hello?”

_“Cousin! We just parked, we will be up in a minute, unless you just want to meet me downstairs?”_

“Sure I’ll meet you outside, we can take my car.” He hung up the phone, “They are here. Mallorie is on her way up, and then I’m going to go meet Roman outside. We won’t be gone long.” He kissed the top of her head and stood up from the couch grabbing his jacket from the back of it, “You will be alright while I’m gone?” He looked at Packie as he asked the question.

“I will be alright. Might even get Packie to help paint our toes!” She teased her brother.

“Fucking hell nah.” Packie laughed and nodded to Niko. He would keep an eye on things. “I’m gonna keep my happy ass right here and drink Francis’s thank you gift.”

The elevator doors opened and Mallorie walked in pulling a large suitcase behind her. “Girl you better be ready to transform, because the master of makeup has arrived!” She took a sweeping bow and smiled at Niko when she stood back up. She sent him a questioning glance when she saw another male sitting in the living room, before recognition hit her. “Packie?”

His head spun around when his name was called, “Oh no shit! Hey Mallorie, it’s been forever. Once Elizabeta got sacked, I pretty much kept clear of the area. How’s it been?” He had only met her a couple of times, and it was because he had been at Elizabeta’s place for some coke. But she had made quite the impression.

“Good. Got engaged since the last time we saw each other. Guess I’ll be joining the Bellic family.” She laughed and motioned for Kate to follow her, “As much as I would _love_ and chat it up, I have some work to do. And some much needed girl time to commence.”

Kate stood up from the couch and pretty much skipped over to Mallorie’s side. “See you when you get back!” She sent Niko a brilliant smile.

“You won’t be able to take your eyes off her!” Mallorie winked to him and took Kate’s hand heading off toward the bedroom area.

“You got this Packie?” He turned one last time to look at the man who was slowly becoming his own brother.

“Yeah yeah. Just hurry back. Not sure how long I’ll be able to stand listening to girl talk.” He waved over his shoulder to let him know he would stand guard.

Satisfied that Kate and Mallorie would be safe, he headed into the open elevator and pressed the down button. He prayed they would all be okay. He didn’t like the heavy feeling he got in his chest at leaving her side. He pulled his jacket on and immediately noticed he forgot his gun. He was half tempted to go back up and get it, but he would be okay. The sooner he left, the quicker he could get back to Kate. The elevator opened to the lobby and he could see Roman chatting up the receptionist.

He shook his head at the way his cousin would flirt with anything that had legs on it. “Roman if you are ready?” He sighed when he saw the way Rebecca was propping herself to show the most cleavage.

“Oh Niko you didn’t tell me you had such a _lovely_ cousin. He tells me you are going to wine and dine your _girlfriend_ tonight.”

He could make out the evil glint in her eyes, the snarky tone of her voice, and the hostile body language she was emitting, but poor Roman was clueless. “Yes I plan on giving her one hell of a night. See you around Rebecca, come Roman, let us go to the _jewelry store_.” He sent her a glare of his own. Let her take that statement however she wanted to.

“Perhaps you can start looking at wedding rings of your own!” Roman happily announced as he headed for the front door. He was sure Niko would be able to find a set he liked, for there was no way his cousin wasn’t madly in love with the woman he met earlier. He stopped by the door and turned to look at Niko to make sure he was following.

“Perhaps I will.” His tone had a finality to it. He never broke eye contact with Rebecca. He was putting a stop to her before it got out of hand. He never liked to hurt females, had drank himself to sleep over having to kidnap Gracie for Gerry, but he would be cold and ruthless should Rebecca decide to get nasty.

The color had drained from her face and she shifted her gaze back down to the computer in front of her. She felt hurt over the cold dismissal he had sent to her. “See you around Niko.” She huffed out and went back to looking at purses and handbags at one of her favorite store’s websites.

Niko took one last glance in her direction before heading over to his cousin. He felt that was the end to whatever attempts that would be aimed his direction. He was tired of the constant flirting, and it would be nice to be able to come and go and not have it grate on his nerves.

“So where is his place Roman?” The two walked through the open door and he waved at Tom, before getting into his car.

“It’s around the corner from Perseus. Very well-known and very expensive. Only the best for my Mallorie!” Roman buckled his seat belt and couldn’t wipe the happy smile that was plastered to his face.

“Okay.” Niko started the car and headed back toward Perseus. He had an idea of which store it was and wondered where he had gotten the money to be able to buy all this stuff, including the second home. “Roman, how are you able to afford something from there?” He kept his eyes on the road in case he ran into the motorcycle again.

“I told you, I’m on a hot streak! I’ve won so many poker games online, placed the biggest bet on the races, and won! The insurance money started it all, and I’ve been winning ever since! I bought us this place here in middle park, and then decided I wanted to marry Mallorie. I immediately went and bought us a home in Beachgate, down in Broker. I proposed to her with the key to the place. I want only the best for us. But I knew I wanted to get her a ring. She deserves that.”

“I can understand that. Just be careful. You may be on a hot streak, but you know that can change quickly.” He warned his cousin. It’s how they ended up in trouble most of the time.

“I’ve stopped betting. I have a new cab business, higher end cars and limos. It’s really taking off. I’ve been employing more immigrants from our homeland. Offering them the chance at the American dream. I give them instructions on how to apply for visas, and that they have a way to prove they have a job. Mallorie oversees the paperwork and answers the phones. It’s like my dreams have all come true.”

“I’m impressed Roman. Really I am. I am glad things are finally starting to work out for you.” He felt a small amount of pride swell up at knowing his cousin had made it in life. A house, soon to be wife, a successful business, and a wedding to throw. He was checking the boxes quickly. “Before you know it, you’ll have kids.”

“Uh no. Not ready for that yet.” Roman’s face fell and he gave his cousin an exasperated look.

“With the way you talk, I’m surprised you haven’t had an uh oh yet.” He dodged the weak punch thrown his direction.

“Cousin! We are here!” Roman was glad they had gotten to the shop. He wasn’t prepared to listen to a lecture about protective sex, kids, and the implications of being a father. “Let me focus on being a kept man, before I start thinking about kids. I do not mind the idea, just not now.”

“You really did pick the most expensive jewelry shop in the city.” _‘And the only place ran by the Jewish Mob…’_ He eyed the sign above the door and had to sigh. ‘ _Roth and Sons’_

“Of course cousin! Come, let us go get the rings and get back to our lovely women.”

The two got out of the car and walked up to the heavy glass door. A security guard eyed them suspiciously before grabbing his radio on his shoulder and speaking into it in another language. A response came back in the same language, and the guard opened the door for them. They had to pass through a set of metal detectors and Niko was only slightly glad he had left his weapon’s at home.

“Welcome! Welcome! Roman, how good to see you again! I have your order ready, show your guest around and I’ll go get it from the back.” A portly man had spoken to them from behind a long glass counter. His thick Hebrew accent giving away his heritage. The shops overhead lights were dim to allow the lights in the counters to make the diamonds sparkle. Roman had returned the greeting and walked to the back counter to wait for the man to return.

Niko casually walked around, counting the number of security cameras and trying to keep his face from them. The last diamond deal he was involved in was a shit show. And he was sure he had pissed off the entire Jewish Mob in Liberty City with the death dealt to them. Not to mention the large sum of diamonds that were probably in the landfill somewhere. He kept his head down and pretended to look at the displays of jewelry.

“Can I help you look for something? You look lost.” A kind young woman’s voice drifted past his ears.

“Uh not really looking, but if something catches my eye, I’ll let you know.” Niko eyed her from across the display counter. The young lady, no more than 17 by the looks of it, was dressed in all black, a torn piece of cloth was buttoned to her clothing. He recognized the signs of mourning. He lowered his eyes from her and tried to remember the right words of sorrow, “ _May the Omnipresent comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”_ He knew he probably butchered the words, having only ever spoken the phrase when they had buried a Jewish friend on the battlefield.

“Thank you for your kind words. This is a difficult time for us all.” She bowed her head and clutched the Star of David around her neck, “How did you-?”

“A fallen comrade overseas. I have sat Shiva before.” He turned away from the young lady, wanting to not remember how bad things had gone in order for their friend to be killed. Or think he might be the one who made her have to wear the torn piece of cloth.

“ _You should have no more distress._ ” She spoke the words quickly and fluently, making it harder for Niko to decipher. “Then please, take your time looking over our wares. I will not bother.” She made to move away and give the gentleman some space. It had been jarring to see someone of not apparent faith say the mourning words to her.

He wasn’t really looking for jewelry, but the more he thought about it, he felt like he should get Kate something. He remembered she always wore earrings, and her ears had been bare since he brought her home with him. “On second thought, I would like to see what earrings you have.”

“Certainly. Clarity, color, cut, and carat preference? And gold or silver?” The girl’s expression lightened at the change of topic and moved along the back of the counter, motioning him to follow her to another display case.

Niko had to rack his brain the remember how diamond value was scaled. It had been a long time since he needed that knowledge. “Uh forgive me, but I believe I want something colorless or near colorless. Round cut for sure. One to two carats. But really I just want to see what you have.” He followed her to the display case closer to the back of the store. He saw Roman and the portly gentleman examining the rings and talking back and forth over them.

“We have pretty much anything in every price range if that makes it easier on you. But if you are anything like that gentleman speaking with my abba, you have good taste.” She came to a stop behind some of the more higher graded diamond stud earrings. “Now you strike me as someone who prefers silver to gold.” Carefully she pulled out a display of earrings and laid out a cloth to set them on. She pulled on a pair of white gloves and examined a couple different pairs before placing them down in front of her new customer.

“What do you think?”

Niko looked them over. He had never needed to look at jewelry but knew how to grade certain pieces for selling. Or which kinds would get him more money. He looked a couple of them over and didn’t really see anything that stuck out to him. He looked down into the display case and noticed a pair that was part of a set. A thin silver chain shimmered in the light and it caused him to look at the pendant. Four diamonds had been placed into silver brackets to form the shape of a four leaf clover. A tiny emerald was in the middle of the diamonds and it’s what had originally caught his eye. There was a pair of medium sized round diamond stud earrings that matched the silver chain.

“Can I see that set?” He pointed to the necklace and earrings in the case.

“Of course.” The lady placed the ones she had pulled out back into their respectful places and grabbed the necklace and earring set out to show him. “A unique choice. We don’t get many people in here who gravitate to something other than the Star of David.”

“The woman I’m dating is Irish. It suits her.” He looked at the set and couldn’t stop the smile that spread. _‘It really does suit her’_

“Would you like to purchase this set for her?” She had seen the cost and figured it would probably shy him away.

“Yes. I think I will. How much?” Niko was starting to get excited about being able to give her something.

“$12,500” She dared not look up into his face for fear of losing the sale.

“Cash okay?” Roman had walked over and cut Niko off before he could say no.

She nearly fell over, “Cash is always okay.”

“I can cover it, and you can pay me back cousin!” Roman had seen him looking at something and had told the owner he would buy whatever he had picked out. The owner had told him he could get 25% off the cost since he had chosen them to make custom rings, and that he refers those he knew to them for future business. It had been all he needed to hear in order to make the decision to buy what had caught Niko’s attention.

He placed a hand on his cousin’s shoulder, “She will absolutely love it!”

“Roman, I can not. I can come back later to make the purchase.”

“Nonsense! Wouldn’t you rather give it to her at dinner tonight? Come on! My treat. You can pay me back once we get back to your place. Really. It’s no big deal.” Roman wasn’t going to back down. He wanted to see his cousin’s girlfriend smile and be happy, and what better way to make a woman smile than by getting her a gift of diamonds? “Can you package it up for us? I’ll go give your father the money, but we are on a tight schedule.”

“Hurry _bat_ , these men have business to attend to and they have made us very happy with their business” The father had walked over to see which set the strange immigrant men had picked out.

“Certainly. She must be one lucky lady.” The female took the display and headed for the back to clean it and box it up for them. She couldn’t believe how much had been dropped within a few minutes at her family’s store.

“Thank you for your business. These last seven days have been difficult. I wanted to close the shop down to mourn traditionally. But when you called Roman, I knew I couldn’t let others down. My _ben_ down. He was a troubled young man. Straying from the family business. But you have given me hope that we can continue to serve the community through his memory.”

“Yes of course! Your shop and fine craftsmanship is what drew me in. I was looking for a suit to wear to my wedding and happened to pass by here. I had only one talk with you and knew you could make what my soon to be wife deserves. Now my cousin will get to surprise his female!” Roman was beyond excited at everything going on. He hadn’t been this happy, this ready to burst, in so long. Everything was falling into place for him and he was ready to start truly living the American dream.

“Thank you again! It was a pleasure Adam.” Roman shook the owner’s hand and smiled.

“ _Shabbat Shalom. Ani mishtatef betsa’srech.”_ Niko nodded to the owner and shared his condolences and wished him a good Shabbat. He knew his cousin wouldn’t pick up on the loss the family was suffering, but he would offer what sorrows he could for them. He had a feeling he probably had a part of their mourning.

“ _Toda raba_. Good evening to you both.” The owner had given Niko a questioning glance before heading back toward the office of his store. He had been given much to think on.

“Roman, you are out of your mind. But thank you. I’ll get you the money once we get back. You got the rings?” Niko was a little disturbed about spending that much on something, but it did look amazing, and he was sure it would look even better on her. And he was itching to leave the store before he was framed for the murder of a member of the Jewish Mob.

“Oh yes! Look!” Roman proudly opened the two ring boxes and showed his cousin. His was a simple gold band, but Mallorie’s set was insane. A large princess cut diamond was set into a thin gold band, with another two bands encrusted with diamonds on each side of main ring. “I plan on putting the engagement ring on her tonight when we get to have a slow dance. Give her a proper engagement moment.”

“You are truly a romantic cousin.” Niko snorted and had to contain his laughter, but really, he couldn’t be happier for him.

“Just giving you an example to lead by should you need to come back and get a ring of your own.” Roman smiled and closed the boxes. “I’ll have to sneak the ring out before we go, but take care of them. I will need them tomorrow for sure. I am trusting you cousin.” He held the boxes out for Niko to take.

“They will be safe with me. And you can just say you need to use the bathroom. I’ll put them in the top drawer in there when we get home. I’ll make sure Mallorie won’t find them should they be in there when we get back.” Niko checked his phone; he had meant to leave it with Kate. But with Packie there he figured if she needed anything he would call.

“Thank you, cousin.” Roman looked over and saw the young lady bringing a smooth flat velvet box over to them. “I’ll go pay and we can be on our way.” He walked over to the front counter and pulled his wallet out.

“Here you go. Thank you for picking this out. It’s been on display for years waiting for the right owner. I feel like it’s going to its final home.” She had always loved the piece and was a little sad to see it go, but it would make the woman who wore it happy.

“It will grace the neck of the most beautiful woman I know. Thank you.” He took the black velvet box and tucked it into his inside jacket pocket. He would need to find an excuse to pull Kate aside to be able to put it on her.

“Let’s go cousin! Our women await!” Together they both headed out of the store to Niko’s car.

Packie had started to sweat. His stomach was extremely upset, and his head was swimming. He finished off another glass of champagne and placed the empty glass down on the coffee table. _‘Ugh it has to be from lack of sleep. Haven’t slept in like 48 hours. Can’t even think about food.’_ He looked to the couch and longed to just lay down for a minute. His sister and Mallorie were back in the bedroom chatting away and laughing occasionally. And when they got to really laughing loudly it hurt his ears.

Shakily he moved off the chair and plopped down on the couch, his face planting firmly into on the pillows. _‘I need a line. That will help me…’_ He turned his head to look at the coffee table, the movement causing the world to spin. He slapped a hand to his face and closed his eyes, moaning at the pounding sensation in his temples. “Fucking hell man. The fuck is wrong with me?” He whispered out. He was starting to regret chugging all the champagne. He wasn’t a wine drinker, and now he remembered why.

“Packie? You okay?” Kate had heard the moan and went to check on her brother. He was pale and a light sweat had formed on his forehead. “I told you not to drink that much, it was going to ruin dinner.” She tried to lightly tease him to make herself feel better. _‘He looks like shit’_

“Yeah Katie I’m good. I think I just need some sleep. I didn’t sleep much. You might have to go to dinner without me.” He looked up and tried to focus on his sister. “Really I’m good. I’m just tired is all.”

“Let me get you some cold water at least. And maybe a cold washcloth.” Her eyebrows knitted together in concern. She placed her hand on his forehead, but he didn’t feel warm.

“You look good sis. No more bruise.” He slurred his words slightly, attempting to touch her face. “And yeah, water would be nice.” He turned back into the pillow and closed his eyes, letting his arm drop off the side of the couch.

“Okay.” Kate moved into the kitchen, taking the empty glasses and bottle with her. _‘Can’t believe he finished the entire bottle in half an hour…’_ She pulled a clean glass from the cabinet and filled it with ice and water. She walked over and placed it down on the table in front of her brother before heading back into the bathroom to get a washcloth. She ran it under some cool water and rung it out. Kate hurried back out into the living room and placed it on her brother’s head. He mumbled something to her and moved so he could place it over his eyes.

“I’m getting concerned Packie. This isn’t like you.” She ran her fingers through his hair and tried to brush away some of the sweat.

“I’m fine Kate. Just need sleep. Now go finish getting ready. Niko will be back soon.” _‘I hope’_

“If you start to feel worse let me know, okay?” She lightly cupped his cheek and couldn’t help but feel how warm he was starting to get.

“Okay Ma.” They both winced at the words. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” He moved the washcloth off so he could look at his sister. “I’m going to miss her.” He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes. He felt like he was five again getting to feel his mother’s love after being sick all day and finally getting to sleep.

“Me too Packie. Me too.” She smiled sadly at her brother and felt a wave of pain crash over her at the loss of their mother. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.” She kissed his forehead and moved back to the bedroom. She needed to shake her concern. He would be alright. This was nothing compared to the few times he was detoxing at their Ma’s house over the years.

“Everything okay?” Mallorie was finishing up her eye makeup sitting on Niko’s bed using a handheld mirror. She looked over as her friend sat down next to her.

“Yeah I think he drank too much again. We are both grieving in our own ways over the passing of Ma. It’s going to be a rough couple of months.” Katie fiddled with the bathrobe Mallorie had brought over. They both had stripped down and put on the fluffy towel robes in order to do their makeup. It was also easier for Mallorie to cover the marks on her neck if she didn’t have to pull on or off clothing over her head.

“It could be whatever bug is going around town. I have been so sick lately at the most random times. I wake up shaking, sweating, and have the urgent need to empty the contents of my stomach. But once I do, I feel a little better. It isn’t till I get some food into me that I start to feel better. This morning was the absolute worst. But Roman managed to get me some breakfast. Plus, I haven’t had a fever so I’m sure it was just a temporary thing.” Mallorie shrugged and went back to finishing off the wing tip to her eyeliner.

“Yeah hopefully. I just hope he will be okay.” Kate glanced out the window to see the skyline in the distance. His place had a great view of downtown.

“But I understand about the grieving. If you ever need to talk to someone, I will listen.” Mallorie checked her makeup one last time and was satisfied with the way it looked. She had gone a little over the top with her makeup, applying thicker eyeliner, fake eyelashes, and going with a bolder red for her lipstick. “Let me check you one last time before we get dressed.” She motioned for them to get off the bed.

“I really am amazed that you were able to completely hide the bruise and marks on my neck.” Kate looked into the handheld mirror Mallorie handed her.

“Airbrush makeup is the best there is. Can hide anything. Including mistake tattoos from your mom.” Mallorie laughed, “Well I think it’s time we get dressed. But before we do, I have a surprise for you. Well- it’s really for Niko. But you’ll see what I mean. Hang on.” Mallorie walked back over to her suitcase and pulled out a paper bag from Clara Krow. “Now do not freak out on me. But no outfit is complete without the bra and panties!”

“You so did not!” Kate felt her whole body flush.

“Mmm Hmm. Now you really don’t have to wear it but trust me. The reaction you get out of Niko will be priceless!” Mallorie placed the bag down on the bed and pulled out a black lace push up bra and matching thong. “Not to mention, you needed a bra that can alter the straps to be able to hide under the dress you picked out.

Kate inspected the set and couldn’t stop the goofy smile from spreading on her face. She had no idea how to act sexy, and it was going to be difficult to just walk around in this get up in front of Niko. “You’re gonna have to show me how to put this all on. Where do _these_ straps even go to?” She held up what looked like a belt, but it had thin straps that dangled from it.

“Oh that’s the garter belt. Which you don’t have to wear it unless you have stockings to hold up. So that can be for tomorrow since we will be in Church and pantyhose is kind of a requirement. I think. It’s been forever since I’ve gone. Not sure if it’s still super conservative on dress code.”

“Modesty is kind of required.” She ran her fingers over the lace. “You are corrupting me I’m sure.” She playfully smiled at Mallorie, “Alright. Let’s get dressed. I’ll need help getting in the dress, so I don’t ruin the fantastic job you did on my makeup.”

Niko pulled up to the parking spot and eyed the street looking for the motorcycle he had seen earlier. He couldn’t shake the paranoid feeling he got driving around. Tom was standing outside the door and waved from his position. Packie’s red comet was across the street and Roman’s car was parked behind it. Nothing looked out of place. He recognized some of the other tenants’ vehicles.

“Come cousin! I wish to see my Mallorie all dressed up!” Roman got out of the car and started heading for the building.

Niko climbed out of the car and followed his cousin. “We will need to change quickly if we are to get there before the reservation time.”

“Yes yes. I will want to have a drink at the bar first and hear a couple of songs before we are led to our table. I got us the corner table with the view of the park and city. It will be very romantic indeed!” Roman nodded at Tom as he entered the lobby.

Without even realizing it, Roman had picked the best vantage point of the dining room. Granted the windows gave him pause. Any decent shot could be a headshot through the window. _‘Unless it’s reinforced glass. And they would need armor piercing rounds to break the glass, but even then, the glass could change the trajectory of the bullet.’_ “Great spot Roman. Is this going to be a large crowd? Or just us?” He hadn’t thought to ask him who all would be attending.

“I invited Jacob, Brucie, and Bernie. Which I am assuming Bryce won’t be joining us since he will be trying to get donations from other patrons. Packie is welcomed to join us. I gave Jacob the option of bringing a guest, as well as Brucie. But that should be the extent of it. Mallorie’s family has refused to join us.” They reached the elevator and Roman pushed the button, “I feel bad that her family won’t come to the wedding.”

“Don’t think too much on it. We have our own family here in Liberty City, and it will be more fun to enjoy the day without having to worry about upset families.” Niko shrugged as they stepped onto the elevator. “Haven’t seen Little Jacob in a while.”

“He is most excited about the food. Said he would be rolling one big fat one before showing up.” Roman laughed, “Him and his green.”

“Hope he doesn’t bring any with him, with the Congressman and Deputy Mayor being in the building, I’m sure there will be more cops than normal.”

“True. I’ll call him and let him know.”

The doors opened to his apartment and the laughter of the girls drifted down the hall. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. He was excited to show her the necklace he bought. “I’ll go use the _bathroom_ and change real quick.” Making sure Roman understood he was also going to be stashing the wedding rings into the top drawers.

“Ah good. I’ll call Jacob and let him know about the cop situation.” Roman headed over to the kitchen, and the liquor cabinet, to make his phone call.

Niko noticed the sprawled out way Packie laid on the couch, and the shallow way he was breathing. “You okay man?” Niko stopped behind the armchair and studied his friend.

“Ugh yeah. I just haven’t slept in a while and I’m exhausted. I’m gonna pass on dinner tonight, cool if I stay here for a bit ‘till I’m good to drive?” He bleakly looked up to Niko, trying to determine which one to look at as his dizziness had gotten worse.

“Sure. Take whatever time you need.” He had seen the empty bottle of champagne and figured he had drank too much. He didn’t see any white residue on the coffee table so at least he wasn’t high. “I’m going to change clothes and we will be leaving shortly after.” He saw Packie nod slightly, before heading back to the bedroom.

“Hope you ladies are dressed, wouldn’t want to walk in on anyone.” Niko called out before walking past the separating wall to the bedroom. Kate was standing with her back to him and was combing through Mallorie’s hair.

“Totally naked and making out with your girl, duh.” Mallorie called before looking over to where she heard Niko, causing Kate to lower the comb. “But you’d know better than that.” She smiled at him and flattened her hands over the white fabric of her dress. She wore a strapless white dress that went to her knees. Gold lace bordered the top hem and ran the length of the bottom. The fabric was stretchy and was pulled tightly across her body. She had on matching gold heels. A golden dangle bracelet sat on her wrist and a thin golden chain hung from her neck. Her hair had been straightened and brushed out. “Well? Is this Roman approved?” She turned around to show Niko.

“I’m sure he will drop dead when he sees how gorgeous you are.” Niko deadpanned.

“Such romantics live in the Bellic family!” Mallorie exaggerated and shook her head. “At least tell me I did a good job on your girl?” Mallorie pulled her friend around to face him.

Kate gained her footing at being pulled around to face her man. Mallorie had picked out a velvet dark green dress that matched the color of Niko’s tie he would be wearing. It was long sleeved and had a high collar, that kept her collarbones covered, and stopped mid-thigh. He had seen the back and that was what heated his blood. It was open in the back from the bottom of her neck down to where the back of her bra would rest. The fabric clung to her like a second skin and showed off her natural curves. She had on a pair of silver heels that were open and he could see they had painted their toes. He was happy to see she kept her hair down and left it curly. It gave her a youthful appearance. Mallorie had covered the bruises and marks, and he couldn’t see a single one anywhere. She wore makeup, a first for him, as she had never put much thought into her looks. But it was done tastefully, only highlighting her natural beauty.

“Breathtaking.”

A smile bloomed across her face and her cheeks tinted pink at his praise. “Thank you.” She felt shy in front of him.

“Now if you ladies don’t mind, Roman and I need to change so we can head out.” Niko shooed them out of the bedroom but grabbed Kate’s hand before she got too far away from him. “But could I have a moment of your time first?” He gave her a cheeky smile and glanced to Mallorie who only threw her hands up over her head before leaving the two lovebirds, grabbing the packed up suitcase on her way.

“I have something for you, that I think will go great with the outfit.” He held her hand and traced his thumb over the side of it.

“Okay?” She gave him a confused look, unsure of what he could possibly have for her.

He pulled out the flat black velvet box from his jacket pocket. He could see the widening of her eyes as she realized what type of box it was. He undid the clasp on the side and lifted the top off to show her the dazzling display of the necklace and earrings.

“ _Oh Niko_! It’s beautiful!” Her hand went to her mouth in shock. The four leaf clover sparkled in the dim lighting of the bedroom making her want to reach out and touch it.

“May I?” Niko let go of her hand and went to remove the necklace to put around her neck, reaching over and placing the box down on the dresser.

“Yes please!” Kate turned and lifted her hair out of the way.

Gently he slipped the chain around her neck and did the clasp, letting his hands rest against her shoulders. “You are the most precious part of my life Kate.”

She turned to look into his eyes and felt a few tears form, “Don’t make me cry and ruin the hard work Mallorie did.” She whispered to him. Her hands went to his sides and slid around to his back so she could hold him. “I want to tell you something, but I am afraid if I do, you will not want to hear it.” She turned her face away and leaned into his shoulder trying to figure out if she should just say it and get it over with, or shrink back in on herself.

His arms encircled her and held her firmly to him, “I know Katie, I know.” He could guess at what she was getting at, but he needed more time before he would allow himself to make such declarations.

She shifted in his arms to look up at him, with the heels on it wasn’t much of a height difference. “Just know I feel it. Okay?” She held his eyes with her own, wanting him to get the gravity of her feelings for him.

“I feel it too. Don’t worry.” He leaned down and placed a light kiss to her lips, his hands sliding up her frame to cup her face. She pressed her body into his and he tilted his head deepening the kiss.

“ _Niko_ ” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her toes closing what little space there was between them.

He let his hands brush her cheeks before letting them settle on her tiny waist. He slowed his kissing down, knowing they didn’t have the time, or the quietness of an empty apartment. He broke the kiss and sighed not liking having to stop what he was enjoying, “But Roman and I need to finish getting ready, or we will never get there in time.” He grabbed the box off the dresser and held it out for her to be able to put the earrings on.

“Thank you for the beautiful gift Niko. I will wear these every day.” She kissed him again and went to work putting her new earrings in, “How do I look?”

“Like you are made for my cousin!” Roman walked around the corner and saw her placing the earrings on her ears.

She smiled at Roman, “Thank you! Now both of you chop chop! We got places to be!” She kissed Niko’s cheek and headed back out to the living room to check on her brother.

“Ah cousin, love looks good on you.” Roman clapped Niko’s shoulder and headed into the bathroom to grab their suits to change in to. Niko could only shake his head, but he couldn’t prevent the smile that crossed his lips and started to get undressed.

“Good God Kate! Where did you get those earrings from? They’ve got to cost a small fortune!” Packie had smiled when his sister knelt down at his side and checked his temperature. That’s when he noticed the large diamonds on her ears.

“A gift from Niko.” She smiled at her brother and tried her best to keep her concern for him from showing. He felt like he was running a fever and was paler than normal. “You feeling any better? Want me to order you something and bring it back with us?”

“Thanks, but I’m okay. I really don’t feel too good. I told Niko I’d probably crash here till I felt up to driving home. Don’t let me ruin your night out on the town. The whole McReary clan is proud of you for getting out of the house for once!” Packie barked out a laugh before it turned into a coughing fit. “Man that hurt.”

“Packie! I think you should go see a doctor. You might be coming down with something.” Katie handed him the glass of water for him to take a couple of sips.

“Maybe. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry too much, you will get wrinkles.” He tried to joke, but deep down he was starting to worry about his health.

“I always worry about you. You, Gerry, Francis. I worry about all of you. You should know that by now.” She took the glass back from him and set it down on the table. She glanced up to see Mallorie on the phone speaking rapidly in Spanish to someone on the other end of the line. “You are all the family I have left, and if you like it or not, someone has to worry about your wellbeing!” Kate huffed and leaned back on her calves. Kneeling on the floor was uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry I make you worry. It’s just what we do, you know? There isn’t another way.” Packie shifted on the couch to be able to lay on his side and see his sister more clearly.

“There was another way, but our family is cursed to continue down the wrong path.” She smiled sadly at him and shifted on her legs.

“Wasn’t given much of a choice. But I will be okay. This isn’t something I haven’t dealt with before. You and I both remember the summer I tried to quit drinking. So if I can survive that, this is nothing.” He mustered the best smile he could and finally took in her full appearance. “Say Niko is gonna have a hard time keeping his hands to himself tonight!”

“I’ll take the compliment for what it’s worth.” She laughed at him and smoothed the dress down in her lap, “But it is very daunting to think about going in public dressed like this. I don’t think I’ve ever dressed up for something, or at least not since Gerry’s last wedding. But I think I was 21?”

“Yeah because me and Derrick made it a bet to get you smashed at that wedding!” Packie couldn’t help but smirk as the memories resurfaced, “You danced with just about everyone at the wedding. It was beyond hilarious.”

“Oh stop it! I was not _that_ bad!” She fumed at him and crossed her arms over her chest, “If I remember I managed to make it home before hurling into the toilet. You made it to the car.”

“Yeah not my best moment. We had such a hang over the next day. That marriage only lasted what? A month?”

“Something like that. I remember her being furious that her family spent a ton of money on a fancy wedding just for it all to crumble down around them when Gerry got busted for stealing a car or something. He didn’t have the charges stick, but it’s what tore them apart.”

“At least he never had any kids. Fuck could you imagine the shitshow that would be now?” Packie covered his face as a wave of nausea washed over him.

“True. You sure I can’t get you something?” She had seen him take on a greenish hue before it went back to the pasty white parlor. “I will check in on you while we are at dinner.”

“Don’t Katie. Focus on having a good time. You deserve it.” He rubbed at his eyes and focused on breathing, “Just be sure to thank Francis for the champagne.” He smirked when his sister genuinely laughed.

“I’ll be sure to do that.” She smiled softly at her brother, “Just be sure to not miss the wedding okay?”

“You better not miss my wedding!” Mallorie huffed from behind the couch. “Not paying for an open bar for it to go to waste!” She leaned over the couch to look at how bad Packie was feeling.

“You said the magic words! I’ll be there for sure now!” Packie removed his hand from his face and smiled up at Mallorie. She had slipped him a small pouch of coke when his sister was in the bedroom with Niko. She had said something about him looking strung out and that she wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

“Just don’t let him near a mic, he gets _very_ emotional at weddings when drunk. You won’t want him to give a speech-” She shrieked as Packie made to swipe at her and dodged the attempt to hit her.

“I wasn’t that bad!” He rolled off the couch and scrambled to chase after her.

“ _Gerry my wonderful loving brother, my rock-”_ Kate tried her best to imitate her brother’s voice between fits of laughter and ducking out of Packie’s reach and the attempts to grab her.

“Katie cut it out! I wasn’t that bad!” Packie lunged after her, trying to get her to shut up. He was unsteady on his feet and he was stumbling around after her.

“ _Giving me a true example of what true love looks like!_ ” She giggled madly when he managed to grab her sides and tickle her briefly before slipping away from his grasp.

“Oh that’s how it’s going to be huh? _Oh I hope Niko stops by today, I can’t wait to see him again._ ” Packie took on a high pitch tone and tried to make his voice sound girly. His boisterous laughter causing Mallorie to join in.

“Don’t you dare!” Kate turned in her attempt to get away from him to get him back for the jab.

“ _Dear Diary, today I got a glimpse of him from the top of the stairs. I pretend to not be around when he shows up, but it is so hard to not admire the way he just commands a room-_ ” Packie let out a holler as she tackled him back down on to the couch and started to try and cover his mouth.

“You read my _diary_!” She playfully slapped at his shoulder and gave him a murderous glare.

“You leave yourself wide open!” Packie laughed when she tried to slap him again, grabbing her wrist and twisting it so she would tumble off the couch to the floor.

She let out a painfilled gasp and grabbed at her wrist when she fumbled to the ground. He had managed to grab it where the handcuffs had rubbed her skin raw and the long sleeve of her dress had irritated it. She yanked the sleeve up to inspect it.

“Oh my God Katie I’m so sorry!” Packie sat up on the couch and went to check to see if she was okay. Mallorie had rushed around to kneel at her friend’s side.

“It’s okay. I forget at times that I am injured.” She was quiet as the memory of having the metal dig into her skin resurfaced.

“Everything okay in here?” Niko had heard the laughter and teasing back and forth, had even blushed slightly at hearing what she may or may not have written in her diary, but the painful gasp had him hurrying into the living room. He had just finished buttoning his shirt and helping his cousin tie his tie when he heard the thud of a body hitting the floor.

“Yeah sorry, just got carried away.” Packie looked up to his friend and winced at the semi-murderous look he was getting.

“I’m okay Niko. Just forget that I need to take it easy sometimes.” She watched as he made his way further into the living room and couldn’t help the desire that built at seeing him dressed up. “Wow.” She whispered.

“Very nice Niko, is my fiancé done?” Mallorie placed a hand on Kate’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. Careful of her dress and heels she stood up from the floor and held a hand out to help Kate up. She took her outstretched hand and Packie’s one and moved to sit on the couch next to her brother.

“See for yourself my one true love!” Roman walked in with his arms out wide and a silly grin plastered on his face. “But I only put on this show for you!” He turned around and somewhat danced over to where she stood.

“Ay dios mio, Roman! Look at you!” Mallorie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him several times. “Gonna have to get you to do those moves on the dance floor tonight!”

Packie had helped his sister on to the couch and felt his whole body shake with the effort. “You guys have fun tonight, be sure to pour one out for your boy Packie!”

“You will be okay?” Niko had watched Kate carefully wanting to make sure she hadn’t injured herself more. He noticed the bandage was missing from the counter and assumed Mallorie had helped her put it on.

“Yeah Niko I just need a minute or two then I will head home. I think I picked up some kind of stomach bug or something. Feeling kind of sick, but it’ll pass I’m sure.” He smiled for Kate wanting to make sure she knew he would be okay.

“Take care of yourself okay?” Kate hugged her brother and got up off the couch to walk over to Niko.

“I will, quit worrying.” He locked eyes with Niko and nodded. He would be alright and would leave his place after they left. And he would be on the look out as he drove home.

“Let me go grab my coat and then we can head out.” Kate trailed her hands over Niko’s back as she walked past him to the bedroom.

“Can you grab my suit coat too? It’s on the bed.” Niko watched her exaggerate her hips as she walked to the bedroom, her smirk she shot him making him want to follow her back into the room and shove her on the bed.

“I think we all need a shot before we go!” Mallorie walked into the kitchen and took out four glass tumblers and placed them down on the counter. She moved over to her large suitcase and pulled out a bottle of rum and walked back over to pour each of them a shot. She figured Packie was done drinking for the night as he had pretty much collapsed down into the couch. Roman and Niko had moved over to grab a glass.

Kate walked back into the living space, her jacket buttoned up on her, Niko’s suit coat draped over her arm, and his pistol clutched in her hand. She handed the pistol to Niko first and watched as he tucked it back into the waistband of his dress slacks. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, letting his hand drift down to playfully pat her butt.

She nudged his side teasingly and felt a smirk tug at her lips. The pain pill, the rum her and Mallorie had drank while getting ready, and the excitement of getting to go have a night out on the town, was making her feel giddy. She leaned into his side and smiled at her new makeshift family. Niko handed her a glass with the shot of rum in it. 

“To tonight and many more, being family.” Mallorie lifted her glass and the other three following suit.

“Cheers!” They all downed their shot and got ready to head out to Jerkov’s.


	4. Dining Out

On any typical Friday night Jerkov’s was busy. But on this particular night, the place seemed to be overflowing with people. The valet line was down the street, and limos, supped up sports cars, and exotic vehicles littered Albany Avenue. The top two floors consisted of the restaurant allowing guests to take in the view of the river and surrounding cityscape. The bottom floor was only a lobby with a check in desk, to stop people from accessing the restaurant without a reservation. The second to top floor was the bar and dance club. While the top floor held a more upscale bar and dining room, with a private deck for smoking cigars and sipping on the cognac tastings.

Special events were held at the restaurant all the time. From political campaign events, weddings, parties, and even private business deals. Niko had only ever been inside the bar and dance club portion, having never made a reservation here before. Roman had boasted about how hard it was to get a table at the place, and always preferred the club atmosphere to the more upscale dining experience.

“The place looks packed.” Kate had been staring at the building as they inched up in the valet line.

“It really does.” It unsettled Niko to great lengths. He was hoping to be able to keep a handle on those who were around them, but the crowd size he was sure was inside, would make things more difficult. But Francis had said the security would be tight considering the VIPs that would be present.

“Did your cousin say if he had a reservation or if we would be trying to grab a table?” A couple of people ran by the vehicle toward the entrance to the restaurant. It looked as if they had camera equipment in their hands.

“He made reservations for us all. Was very proud at having the chance to give Mallorie a final date before they got hitched.” Niko saw a bunch of flashing lights ahead and figured someone famous had shown up. “I just hope he doesn’t think he will be upstaged in his efforts.”

“Pretty sure all Mallorie cares about is getting to dance with him and have a good time. She has been feeling overwhelmed with planning the whole wedding.” Kate turned in her seat and undid the buckle so she could get comfortable. She tucked one of her legs under her and shifted the edge of her coat to show the hem of the dress, causing it to hike up slightly on her thighs.

Niko followed the movements out of the corner of his eye. Night had fallen over the city and he couldn’t be sure if they were being watched or not. “I’m sure it is stressful.” He turned his attention back to the front of the car line, moving up as the line did.

“You seem distracted. Am I going to need to shift your focus?” She reached over and placed her hand on his thigh, lightly scratching over the soft fabric of his dress pants.

“Not distracted, only focused on getting us inside and settled, then I can relax and run my hands all over the tops of your thighs.” Niko moved his hand from the gear shift to gently trace over her skin, playfully slipping his fingers beneath the hem of her dress.

Kate’s eyes fluttered closed and she leaned back into her seat letting out a sigh, “Niko I’m not sure how long I’m going to be able to just sit at this dinner before trying to make excuses to leave.” She cracked her eyes open to look at him, “Packie had the worse timing.” She pouted.

Niko slid his hand back out from under her dress to shift gears and move up another car length, “He most certainly did. You sure you’re okay with where that would have gone?” He glanced at her before checking their surroundings. He felt on edge going into this dinner with so much law enforcement and corrupted political powers being in the same building.

“More than okay. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I. I was wanting to try. But maybe we should discuss something else first?” She was thankful for the darkness of the car because she could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew she had turned a bright red.

“And what’s that?” Niko watched as another barrage of flashes exploded from the front of the building. _‘Ugh paparazzi are in full swing tonight’_

“Protection.”

Niko hit the brakes a little harder than he meant to causing them to jerk forward with the abrupt stop. _‘Calm yourself, she has a point.’_ “Okay?”

“Jesus you’re going to make me say it. I’m on birth control, granted no one knows. Ma would have burned the house down in a fit of rage if she had known, and who knows what my brothers would have said. But helping women who have been sexually assaulted at the community center pretty much convinced me to get on it. And of course, as you know I haven’t had sex before. And I’m assuming you have, which means- well. Uh. Oh my God.” She buried her face in her hands slightly, not wanting to smudge the makeup she had on, “Have you been tested? You know. For STDs and all that?”

“They tested everyone who entered the Merchant Navy, since we were all going to be on a ship for a very long time. So I’m clean if that’s what you are worried about.” He sounded more confident and sure of himself than he felt. The line of questioning awkward and weird to him. He’d never thought to ask Michelle, well Karen, or any of the other women he had been with. But she had thrown out the idea that he wasn’t a virgin, “And you assume correct. Does that bother you?”

“No, I pretty much figured I’m the last virgin in Liberty City.” Kate grumbled and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. _‘Well that answers my question and at least I know he’s clean.’_

“I’ve only been with one person since coming to Liberty City. And I’m still bitter about that relationship.” Niko moved the car forward again and hoped she wouldn’t start asking a million questions about it. He hated being betrayed and didn’t handle deception well. Karen had pretty much broken the one rule he asks people close to him to follow- be loyal and be truthful.

“I’m sorry. But-” Kate tuned back toward Niko, “I’m glad you two aren’t together anymore.” She gave him an apologetic smile.

“Same here. She wasn’t right for me, and I had my suspicions. Should have trusted my gut on that one.” Niko watched the people who walked by and tried to let his anger go over being ratted out to the government agency she worked for.

“Is that why you were so distant when we would hang out at first?” She turned fully in her seat wanting to see his reaction.

“No. That would be Gerry’s fault. And the warning Packie gave me about keeping my distance.” Niko smirked at the memory.

“Oh. That explains why things started to change once he got arrested. And why Packie would call me daily about going out with you. Encouraging me to call you first.” She twiddled her fingers together and picked at her nails, “I’m sorry I wasn’t confident enough to call first. I haven’t had much experience dating and well. I was worried you were like my brothers and would get killed or arrested or hurt, and I’ve done so good at burying all the fear I have of losing everyone I love.” She collapsed back into her seat, “I just didn’t want to fall for you and end up having to bury you like my brothers.” She muttered the last words and closed her eyes. _‘Well just keep spilling your heart out why don’t you!’_

“While I may have been involved in what your brothers did, I’m not anymore. I cut ties with that man I called you about. I didn’t make the deal.” He reached out and took one of her hands, bringing it up to his lips to place a tender kiss to her knuckles. “I give you my word, I am working on leaving the life of crime.”

“I’m glad Niko. But there is still unfinished business, yeah?” She smiled sadly.

“Unfortunately, yes. The men who attacked you, I’m sure they are working for someone. Someone who wants your family and me dead.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly and moved it to the gear shift to move forward one more time, “They won’t get you or your family. I will make sure of that.”

“I have faith in you. And I don’t want what happened to me, happen to anyone else. Those people need to be stopped.” She nodded her head and looked back out the front windshield, “And right now, I don’t care how that happens.”

“I will exact your revenge for you, should you ask it of me.” He offered his services, even if he planned on doing it regardless of her answer.

“No. Not from me. I couldn’t ask that of you. I wouldn’t feel right asking you to go kill someone. Their blood would be on my hands as much as yours. I’m sure Packie, Gerry, and even Francis has asked already.”

“Your hands are clean. And I’m sure they will be trying to get their revenge just as much as I am. It has upset very powerful, angry, and violent people in this city. They will be brought to justice.” Niko watched as Roman’s car pulled up at the valet kiosk. The gentlemen in red vests were moving to the front doors and opening them, providing a hand to Mallorie to assist her out of the vehicle. “You ready?” He turned to look at his girlfriend.

“As ready as I will ever be. Not really sure what to expect.” She glanced ahead of them to see Roman take Mallorie’s hand and stand over by the valet kiosk, the one valet getting into Roman’s car. She would ask him later to make sure the details of everything be kept from her. While she didn’t condone violence, and in this instance, she wanted them to pay, it didn’t stop the queasy feeling that settled in her stomach.

“Same. But I’m sure the food is good, and Roman said something about a live band, so you might get a dance after all.” He smirked at the smile she shot him. He moved the car forward as the valet had taken off in Roman’s car to park it in the parking garage.

He put the vehicle in neutral and pulled the e-brake. He watched as the valet moved to open his door for him. He nodded his thanks and waved off the man who was going to open Kate’s door, wanting to do it himself. He walked over to her side of the car and opened the door, extending his hand out for her to take and lifted her up out of the car. Her smile a bit wicked at having seen him shoo off the other valet. Offering his arm to her he walked over to his cousin.

Together they made their way over to Roman and Mallorie. The street corner was filled with cameramen, news channels with their broadcasters set up talking about the charity dinner, and pedestrians wanting to catch a glimpse of the deputy mayor and congressman. Niko shook his head not understanding the hype around those men. Did they not realize how corrupt they were? Or maybe they did and just didn’t care? _‘Sometimes this place reminds me of home too much’_

“Ready cousin? Let’s head inside and grab a spot at the bar. Plus, I don’t want my beautiful fiancé to catch a cold!” Roman pulled Mallorie closer to his side and rubbed her back lovingly. She was shivering against him with how cold the light breeze was that blew down the street.

“Yes please, it’s freezing out here. Even in my coat!” Mallorie tugged on Roman’s arm and started to lead him toward the entrance of the place.

“Lead the way then.” Niko nodded and smiled down at Kate as she leaned into his arm.

She was looking around fascinated by the commotion of the crowd and the red carpet that was rolled out on the ramp up to the doors. “It’s like I’m getting to walk the red carpet in Vinewood. This is awesome!” She tilted away from him in order to return the smile he was giving her. The lights catching her earrings and necklace making them sparkle.

He couldn’t help himself. He reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear and inspected the diamond that graced her earlobe. They were the perfect size for her, and he was proud to have been able to give them to her. She was beaming with excitement, her smile causing small creases at the corner of her eyes, and her eyes shined with her happiness. He could feel his soul settle with her smile and leaned down to kiss her once. “You look so happy.”

“I am. I’m with you.” She kissed him again and leaned back into his arm, “But I am ready to get inside. Mallorie is right, it’s going to be a chilly evening.”

Niko escorted her up the ramp behind his cousin. He eyed the men in suits that lined the entrance ramp, each one of them had a pistol on their hip, earpieces in place, and badges displayed on the suit coat pocket. He figured they were security detail for when the higher ups got there. They were spaced out every five feet and seemed to be scanning the area for possible threats. When they reached the top of the ramp another set of men stopped his cousin and Mallorie to check them for weapons. _‘Uh oh’_

“Step up for weapons check.” The man stated when they reached the landing of the ramp, motioning them to move to the side and have another armed guard pat them down.

Niko was trying to rack his brain for an excuse as to why he had a gun on him, or a way to get it through the door, when someone interrupted his train of thought.

“No need. He’s with me.”

_‘That voice!’_ Niko turned to watch as his contact from the ULP walk over. He wasn’t sure how to feel being in front of him with Kate on his arm. He liked to keep every detail of his life away from this man, as to not have any sort of leverage used against him.

“But sir.”

“Stop it, or you’ll be doing security detail for my boss’s daughter’s 5 year old birthday party next week.” He waved the man away and walked up to stand in front of Niko and what he assumed was his date. “You armed?” He lowered his voice and looked him up and down.

“Possibly.” Niko removed his arm from Kate’s and looped it around her waist, needing to be ready to move should the agents around them decided to swarm him. She only leaned back into his side and rested the side of her head on his shoulder, bringing her arm around his waist and sliding it under his jacket. He felt her hand settle on the pistol. He squeezed her side and hoped she understood what he meant by the gesture. She was prepared to pull the gun and hand it off to him should he need it. He would need to talk to her about situations like this later.

“You here to cause trouble- Katie McReary?” His eyes widened considerably and shot Niko a curious glance.

“Yes? Do I know you?” Kate shifted away from her relaxed posture on Niko to be more alert. She had never seen this man before and was getting worried that he knew her name, her grip tightening on the pistol. She felt a firmer squeeze on her waist and knew Niko was trying to keep her calm. She would need to trust him and play along. Why she brought him the gun when they left the apartment, she couldn’t fathom. But she felt safer knowing he was armed.

“No. But uh. Nevermind. You two enjoy your evening.” He gave Niko a stern glare and turned to look back at the armed guards at the door, “Let them through, they are clean.” He motioned to the men and had them open the door. He waved them forward and nodded as the men lowered their weapons and stood away from the entrance.

“Thanks, I’ll be seeing you around.” Niko narrowed his eyes at the contact. He would figure out why he knew Kate later. He turned them toward the door and tapped her hip. He felt her release the pistol and slide her hand down to give his bottom a playful pat before bringing her arm back to her side. She shifted enough to be able to glance at the man who had spoken to them over her shoulder.

Roman and Mallorie stood just inside the building and watched the whole thing unfold. Roman had started to pace back and forth and worry that his cousin was about to get shot in front of everyone because he had a gun on him.

“Roman would you stop it? You’re making me dizzy.” Mallorie complained and leaned against one of the marble pillars that was in the lobby, the back and forth motion causing her stomach to churn.

“Sorry. Sorry. I just. I need to do something.” He flung his arms out to the side and turned to look back to his fiancé.

“No you don’t. It looks like everything is just fine. See?” She pointed to the couple as they made their way inside.

“Cousin! _Cousin_! Let’s go get a drink, shall we?” Roman rushed toward the two and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Uh sure Roman.” He gave his cousin a once over, “Why are you sweating?”

“Because you idiot I thought you were going to be shot!” He exclaimed loudly and had to chuckle nervously when other people turned to look at what he was yelling about. “Sorry. I just. You will give me a heart attack one day. I’m sure of it!” He sighed and moved back over to his fiancé.

“Everything is good. Just had to check in with the _security team_ to make sure they are aware of the situation. That’s all.” Niko shrugged and hoped that was all that weird exchange was about. He didn’t like that the contact had recognized Kate, but then again if her brothers were felons, the government was bound to know everyone in the family. He hugged Kate to his side, she had been calm and collected through the whole thing, which surprised him.

“You had said something about a drink?” Kate spoke next to him. Her nerves felt frayed and she needed something to help quiet the storm her mind was brewing. She had put every ounce of strength she had to keep from visibly showing how shaken up she was about the whole exchange. All the men outside by the entrance had rifles pointed at them, and she had been so bold as to grab at Niko’s weapon? What was she thinking? _‘A whole lot of good it would have been had I pulled the weapon and handed it off to him. Probably would have been shot long before I made a move with the way they were all looking at us.’_

“Yes! Let’s go.” Roman tucked Mallorie’s arm into his and walked over to the front desk.

“Reservation please?” The lady had paid zero attention to them as she was busy reading her book. The monitors in front of her flicking from one camera to the next, each showing the entrance and exit points of the building.

“Roman Bellic, rehearsal dinner.” Roman leaned forward on the counter and gave the lady his best charming smile.

“One second.” The lady placed her bookmark down in the fold of the book and closed it. Moving the mouse around brought the computer screen back to life and she started scrolling through a list of names and reservations. “It looks like you are the first to arrive from the party. Did you want to wait in the bar till the whole party shows to be seated? Or did you want to go ahead and be shown to your table?” She looked up to the man in front of her, a bored expression across her features.

“The bar would be great. Will someone come get us when the whole party has checked in?” Mallorie spoke up next to Roman.

“Yeah. The waitress and waiter that will be taking care of you will greet you on the other side of the elevator. They will make sure you get settled in. Enjoy your time at Jerkov’s.” She had said the phrase so many times, she couldn’t bring herself to care. She pointed to the open elevator door across from the desk. “22nd floor. Lisa will greet you.” She returned her attention back to the book and opened it to where she had left off.

“Erh. Thanks.” Roman turned toward the waiting elevator and shrugged. “Come along my love, let’s go get a drink and maybe dance a little while we wait on everyone to get here.” The group filed into the elevator and Roman pushed the 22nd floor button.

Niko kissed the top of Kate’s head when she turned herself into him and hugged him. She was beginning to hate elevators and small spaces. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see what Roman and Mallorie were doing. Mallorie was leaning into Roman and was looking slightly pale. _‘That’s concerning, wonder if she is getting what Packie has?’_

“Hey Mallorie, want to use the restroom when we get up there? I’d like to freshen up and check my makeup?” She eyed her friend trying to see if there were other indications she might be getting sick.

“Sounds like a great idea. You boys go grab a spot and order us a drink?” Mallorie smiled at Kate and nodded her thanks, she was really not feeling good. 

The elevator dinged at them and the metal doors slid open revealing the restaurant to them. Smooth jazz music immediately greeted them coming from the bar area. The group stepped off the lift and into the polished looking upscale lobby. A narrow wood hostess stand was placed directly in the middle of the arched opening to the main bar, a couple of beautifully dressed women stood around it, holding menus and chatting amongst themselves. There were a few benches and chairs in the lobby for those waiting on their table that didn’t want to sit in the bar. An armed guard stood against the wall of the elevator and nodded to the group as they moved further into the lobby.

“Good evening and welcome to Jerkov’s. My name is Lisa and I will be showing you to the table once all members of the party arrive. In the meantime, can I interest you in a place at the bar? I can also take your coats.” She placed the menu’s down she was holding and walked forward to them. 

“Please.” Kate and Mallorie removed their coats and handed them off to the hostess that walked up to them.

“Heather, can you show them into the bar while I hang up their coats?” She turned to look over at another hostess and gestured to her guests.

“Certainly, right this way.” Lisa moved over to a closet off the lobby to put their coats up and to get a coat check number for them, while Heather lead the group through the arch way into the main bar. The main bar was a large U-shaped bar, allowing three sides to seat guests, most of which was full. The area around the bar had low seated chairs, small two seater sofas, and short tables, giving it more of a lounge feel than a bar. Candles sat upon all the tables and glowed softly in the room. The lights were dim and on the opposite side of the room from the bar was a small raised platform where the band played a slow jazz number. Bartenders moved rapidly around making drinks while the cocktail waitresses piled them on trays to bring to patrons that sat around the lounge.

“We set up a reserved table for you while you wait. It’s an honor to host your rehearsal dinner here!” Heather smiled at the group and lead them back to a L-shaped couch and a couple of plush low backed chairs. The arrangement allowed them to view the bar and the band, as well as the small dance floor that a few couples swayed back and forth on in front of the band.

“Thank you very much, can you point me in the direction of the restrooms?” Mallorie let go of Roman and turned toward Heather.

“Yes if you follow the hallway there,” She pointed to an opening in the wall the bar backed into, “The ladies restroom is on the far end of the hallway on the right. Men’s is on the left as soon as you enter in the hall.” She nodded to the woman who asked her the question, “I’ll flag down a waitress to get your drink orders and I’ll let the receptionist know where to send the remainder of your guests.” With that she headed back toward the hostess stand.

“Great.” Mallorie grabbed Kate’s arm and dragged her back toward the hallway, the urge to throw up was getting stronger and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out. She was rushing and knew Kate might trip if she kept dragging on her arm. She released her once they got into the poorly lit hallway and nearly ran over another woman as she exited the restroom, not bothering to say sorry as the need to empty her stomach became severe.

“Sorry miss, she’s not feeling good.” Kate called over her shoulder toward the young looking woman with short brown hair, as she entered in the restroom after her friend. She watched as Mallorie shoved open the closest stall and hurled into the toilet. Kate followed her in and closed the door to the toilet room. She grabbed her friend’s hair and held it back as Mallorie heaved again. _‘Wow this place has great restrooms’_

Kate looked away trying to block out the sound and patted her back gently. The whole situation bringing back memories of helping a sick Packie when he had too much to drink on many occasions. “You sure you’re okay? This is the third time you’ve thrown up today. Twice at the apartment and now here.”

Mallorie leaned away from the toilet and grabbed some toilet paper to wipe her mouth, “No Kate I’m not okay. I think I’m pregnant.”

“I’m sorry. _What?!_ ” Kate whispered-yelled in the fairly large toilet stall.

“I’m late. So very late. I haven’t had a chance to buy a test. Roman has been all over me lately. It’s been difficult to just go get one without him knowing, you know?” Mallorie teared up and leaned into the closest wall. “I just want him to be happy, and I’m scared Kate. What if he doesn’t want to be a dad?”

“Everything will be okay. Promise. But let’s get out of this stall and clean you up first.” Kate helped her friend stand on shaky legs and opened the stall door.

Niko watched Mallorie drag his date away and shrugged at Roman, “Must really need to go?”

“Cousin, can you go order us a drink? I’m going to go take a leak and be right back. That last shot went right through me. Plus, I think your friend from earlier wants to speak to you. He keeps looking over here at you.” Roman jerked his head toward the bar at the familiar looking officer who they had met at the dress shop.

“Sure Roman.” Niko glanced over his shoulder where his cousin was motioning. Sure enough Francis sat in the middle of the bar, his body turned toward the empty seat next to him and was sending a murderous glare their direction. “I’ll go handle the cop and get us a drink. The usual?”

“Top shelf cousin. None of the cheap stuff tonight.” Roman shooed him off and headed toward the restrooms.

Niko sighed and gave a silent prayer that tonight he wouldn’t need to beat up Francis. He was really starting to wish he had put a bullet in his head instead of Derrick’s. But what was done was done, and he was going to have to live with the consequences. He turned and casually walked over toward the empty seat by his girlfriend’s brother. “This seat taken?” Not bothering for an answer, he sat down and turned toward Francis.

“Matter of fact it is, but she’s in the restroom, how’s my sister doing?” He turned back to the bar and sipped on the glass of water he had ordered.

“She’s doing good.” Niko gave him a once over and motioned to the bartender. The man hurried over to him, “Two top shelf vodka on the rocks. Make them doubles.” The man nodded and went to grab a fancy looking glass bottle of the top of a shelf.

“Drinking on the job. How unlike you.” Francis leaned his elbows on the bar, trying to appear relaxed, when all he wanted to do was get away from Niko.

“We are out celebrating.” He nodded to the bartender and shrugged off his comment. He wouldn’t be getting drunk, but one drink wouldn’t hurt. The bartender set two crystal glasses down in front of him, and he went to grab their drinks to go back to the couch to wait on his cousin and his girlfriend to get back.

“Hey Niko, fancy seeing you here.”

His whole body froze at the sound of her voice. The cold rage he worked so hard on containing firing to life in his veins. His eyes darkened and he gave Francis one warning glare before turning on the stool to face the last person he ever wanted to see again.

“Hello _Karen_.” He was not in the mood.

“You must be mistaken, I’m _Michelle_ , remember?” She gave him a halfhearted smile and turned to look at Francis, “I see you’ve met my date for the evening.”

“Oh you have got to be shitting me. Have fun with this one. She’s quite the lying bitch.” Niko rolled his eyes and picked up the drinks he ordered, “A bit young for you though.” He glanced at Francis before moving off the stool. Roman had returned to the couch and was starring in his direction, his eyes wide and almost bulging out of his face. The utter look of shock plastered across his features.

“Don’t listen to him Francis, he’s just pissed off that we didn’t work out.” Karen huffed, not at all phased by what Niko had said, and gracefully sat down on the bar stool.

“Wait you two know each other?” Francis looked between his stand in date and Niko.

“We used to hook up, nothing more.” Niko glared at Karen before turning away and walking over to his gaping cousin.

“The _fuck_ is she doing here?! With your girlfriend’s brother of all people?” Roman whispered to his cousin as he sat down on one side of the L-shaped couch, he nervously glanced over toward the restrooms hoping Mallorie didn’t see her.

“She’s a cop remember? I’m sure she is working tonight on making sure the place is safe for Bryce and Thomas. Would make sense she would need a cover story to be in the restaurant.” Niko handed his cousin his drink and took a sip off of his own. He would need to settle the rage inside him before Kate came back out. He could practically feel Francis’s eyes on him.

“Right but. That’s messed up. Mallorie might kill her.” Roman knew how upset she was over the whole betrayal. She blamed herself for not picking up on the stench of cop before introducing her to everyone. Michelle/Karen had brought down Elizabeta, and almost got the rest of them arrested for being associated. It was only because of Niko’s willingness to work with the government that kept the rest of them out of trouble.

“I’d pay money to see that.” Niko took another sip of his drink and sat down on the opposite side of the couch by their table. He glanced up toward the hallway in time to see the two women return.

Mallorie walked over and sat down, more like stumbled down into Roman’s lap and kissed his cheek. “Sorry about that.”

“Not at all, drink?” Roman held his glass up for her.

“Maybe later, my stomach is a little upset. Maybe after we eat something.” She locked eyes with Kate willing her not to say anything.

“Suit yourself.” Roman took another large gulp of his drink and pulled her closer to him, shifting her to face away from the bar. He did not want his female exploding tonight and going all Puerto Rican on Michelle.

“You want something to drink Kate?” Niko had moved his arm up to rest along the back of the couch allowing her to snuggle down into his side. He had seen the look pass between the two females and was wondering what had happened in the restroom. They both seemed jumpy and on edge.

“Yeah, but I can go get it myself.” Kate went to stand up, when Roman flung his hand out to stop her.

“NO! I mean, uh, no. The waitress can take your order, no reason to get up. Stay, relax!” Roman sheepishly chuckled at the questioning look he was getting from Mallorie and Kate.

Niko slapped his hand to his face and dropped his head back to rest on the back of the couch. “ _Make it more obvious why don’t you cousin!”_ He muttered in Serbian.

“Okay what is going on? Who did you see?” Mallorie was suspicious now. Roman only ever got this way when he didn’t want her to see something or get mad.

“Uh no one my sweetheart.” Roman downed his drink and avoided looking at his fiancé.

“Oh that’s it!” Mallorie turned around in his lap and scanned the bar. Her eyes landed on the back of short brown hair, a small silver barrette clipped on one side, and recognition hit her full force. Her head snapped back around to the group and she gave a panicked look to Niko.

“She is here on business, nothing more.” Niko warned her.

“But- but! But that _lying whore, bitch, waste of space, dirty, filthy, evil, conniving, BITCH!_ She nearly ruined everything! She did! She hurt you, me, Roman, Jacob, - poor Liz!” Mallorie went off in Spanish briefly before realizing none of them would understand her. She felt another wave of nausea hit and she slumped back down into her fiancé’s lap.

“Ay man, who be riling up da female like dis?” Little Jacob walked up to the group and nodded to Niko.

“No one of importance anymore. Hey Jacob! Long time, no see!” Niko shook his hand when he sat down next to him in an armchair. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Katie McReary.”

“Ah Packie’s sista. Good to meet ya.” Jacob shook her outstretched hand. “Good to see ya Roman, Mal. Where do I need ta go to geta drink roun’ here?”

“I can take care of that, name’s Tina. What can I get everyone to drink?” A waitress approached the table and pulled out a pad of paper from her apron. She quickly jotted down their drinks and rushed off to the bar to get them made.

(A/N: The auto correct is making Little Jacob’s speech pattern very difficult to type. So I’m not going to try anymore. Sorry!)

“Thanks for the heads up Roman, the security on this place was intense.” Little Jacob nodded to Roman and leaned back into the chair. “This place is nice, but I’m not going to be able to stay the whole time. Badman and I got unexpected work tonight. But we will be at the wedding for sure.”

“That sucks you can’t stay longer, but I get it. The place is pretty nice isn’t it? I hear the food is just to die for!” Mallorie slid out of Roman’s lap and curled up next to him, trying to let go of her anger and settle down. She shot one last hate filled glare in the direction of Michelle before turning back to her group of friends.

“Oh it is! I’ve been here several times.” Bernie exclaimed as he walked up to the group, “I met this fellow on the way up, said he was a friend of ours, told him he could join me.” He turned and gestured to another male to walk up.

“Man, I’ve done told you, I ain’t with you. I’m here to see my boy Roman and Niko.” Brucie walked up to the group wearing the tightest fitted button down he could find.

“Here are your drinks!” Tina set the glasses down on the small table, “Can I get you something to drink?” She eyed the other members of the group.

“Mmm yeah I’ll take whatever you suggest beautiful.” Brucie flexed slightly and gave his best flirting smirk to the waitress.

“So rude. I’ll take a glass of chardonnay please. Ignore this hunk of man meat. He left his manners at the door clearly.” Bernie huffed and sat down in one of the armchairs, not at all afraid of the muscle head who was fuming at him.

“Yeah okay. Be right back.” _‘Such an odd group…’_ Tina walked away toward the bar to place more drink orders.

“You run with an interesting crowd Niko.” Bernie said looking around the bar trying to spot Bryce, “Hello again Roman. Please introduce me to your fiancé!”

“Nicky, I loved the comet. Was the best one yet. Can’t wait to take it out for the races.” Brucie sat down in the other armchair closest to him.

“Uh sure. Brucie, this is my girlfriend Katie McReary.” Niko hoped she wouldn’t pick up about the comet comment. He wasn’t ready to explain how he had stolen the car the previous night in order to go kill Dimitri.

“Nice one Nicky.” He smiled at the female that was tucked into Niko’s side. “The name’s Brucie. You must be the one he mentioned a couple of times when we’d hang. All good things, all good things.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kate was feeling uneasy around all these new people. She kept glancing around the group, trying to keep a light smile on her face. But Mallorie’s outburst had her wanting to know who had upset her so much. She had caught a glimpse of her brother overly flirting with a beautiful young woman, but no one else had stood out to her. _‘God Francis, she is much too young for you. But if it makes you happy, I guess?’_

“Niko! How come you never brought up such a lovely woman to me, when we went out on our boating adventure day?” Bernie turned away from the conversation he was having with Roman and Mallorie, curious now as to why he never mentioned a girlfriend before.

“For starters, we were nearly killed on that so called adventure.” Niko took a sip of his drink and brushed his fingers over the top of Kate’s shoulder lightly. He saw the glances Francis kept sending his way, and he was going to enjoy taunting him with how close he was to his sister.

“Oh please, you are soooo dramatic. We weren’t almost killed, shot at yes, chased around the harbor yes, but we are alive. And it was such a lovely day. You don’t tell me anything anymore. Not like we used to back in the old days.” Bernie pouted, but brightened once the waitress handed him his glass of wine and placed a fruity looking martini glass down in front of Brucie.

“And this is Florian- I mean Bernie.” Niko smirked at the angry look Florian sent him.

“I am Bernie now. Florian is dead. You know this.” Bernie turned his nose up and took a sip off his wine.

“And that is why we don’t talk much anymore. Kate, Florian was in the war with me, but when he moved here, he became Bernie. He’s the one who gave me the car.” Niko hoped she remembered their talk about the Infernus.

“Oh! Yes, I remember you mentioning him to me. Good to meet you, Bernie.” Kate held her hand out to him. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. And she was starting to like the kinder, softer voice of Niko’s friend, than the harsh and brash personality of Brucie.

“She I like, you not so much.” Bernie smiled for Kate and daintily shook her hand. “We will need to go shopping soon. I need a new brunch and shopping partner now.”

“Replaced already? You hurt me!” Niko scoffed and shook his head.

“Ay Niko-man, we need to hit up the darts again soon. Been too long since we hung out. Maybe we can double date now? My girl has been beggin’ me to take her out more.” Jacob had been watching the way the couple interacted and he could see how protective Niko was toward her. He had kept her firmly tucked to his side and would glance around the place every so often. He had noticed the cop who had taken the coke from them at the bar and had wondered if Niko had seen her yet or not.

“Sure Jacob, that sounds like fun. But I think Kate likes pool better.” Kate elbowed his side and sent him a smirk.

“Darts is just as fun. But yes, I do enjoy a good game of pool.” She nodded at the thought of getting to tease Niko during the entire game.

“I’ll ask the lady and get a date planned then.” Jacob finished his drink, “Niko you see who I think I see at the bar?” Jacob let his eyes wonder over the patrons sitting at the bar, trying to seem inconspicuous, but couldn’t stop the glare from forming when his eyes landed on Karen.

“Yes and she’s working tonight. Leave it be for now.” Niko followed his gaze over to where Karen was laughing lightly at something Francis was saying and placed her hand on his upper thigh.

“My brother _hired_ an _escort_?!” Kate whispered shockingly. She was downright appalled that her brother would stoop to such levels to find someone to be with him out in public. 

Niko, Roman, Mallorie, and Jacob started laughing. Niko leaned into her and fought to control his laughter, “No she isn’t a prostitute, but she’s a cop and is working security for the building tonight. It’s why she is with your brother. It’s their cover for the night.”

“Hooker would be a better term for her. She lies, cheats, and makes people believe whatever she wants, and gets paid to do it.” Mallorie huffed and crossed her arms.

“I’m so confused right now.” Kate watched the way the lady flirted with Francis, and the way her brother would stop her advances. Their eyes met briefly before she dropped her gaze down to her lap.

“The lady, is Niko’s ex-girlfriend. She lied to all of us about being a cop and managed to get a lot of people hurt over it all.” Roman explained as the hostess walked up to them.

“Good evening everyone, the table is ready if you wish to be seated?” Lisa had walked over to the group as she noticed everyone had arrived.

“That sounds wonderful.” Mallorie stood up and held her hand out for Roman.

“I’ll catch you all tomorrow, was good seeing everyone. Take care. Peace and love.” Jacob stood up and gave Mallorie and Roman a quick hug, handing an envelope to Mallorie explaining that he got them a wedding gift. He shook hands with Bernie and Brucie and turned back toward his friend Niko. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. Roman told me very little, but- “

“Thank you. Just keep your eyes and ears out for Ray and Jimmy. They are who I think are behind most of it.” Niko clasped Jacob’s hand and pulled him close for a half hug and whispered the words into his ear. He didn’t want Kate knowing his cousin was blabbing what had happened to her to everyone. He moved back and nodded to him, he trusted Jacob to watch his back, “I’ll call you tonight when we are done and explain what I can. I will be needing extra _help_ tomorrow at the wedding.”

“We will be there in the full nines then.” Jacob nodded understanding what he meant. He’d be strapped up and ready for trouble should it show tomorrow. He waved goodbye to everyone and headed back toward the elevators. 

“Follow me.” Lisa motioned to the rest of the group to exit the bar. They walked through the lounge section to another set of double doors on the other end of the room, keeping the noise for the dining room low as to not bother the intimate dining experience going on in the main dining room. Two men opened the doors as Lisa approached and held them open for everyone to file through. The large main dining room had mini booths running along the walls that were sectioned off so couples could enjoy a semiprivate meal, tables were spaced out evenly and created a walkway down the middle. Large glass windows ran the length of the dining room and gave spectacular views of the river and skyline. Like the bar, the lighting was dim, and candles glowed on all the tables.

“Back down that hallway is the private dining rooms, and at the end of the hall is the restrooms.” She pointed to a hallway that lead away from the dining room and continued on toward the corner of the room to a round table. It sat with the best views of the river and city, the glass windows framing the view. The table was covered in a white tablecloth and a wide arrangement of flowers sat in the center, staying low to the profile of the table as to not block the view or obstruct conversations. Seven chairs and seven place settings were spaced equally apart around the table.

“Here you are, this will be where you enjoy the finest meal you can get in Liberty City.” Lisa stood to the side to allow everyone to take a seat. Bernie went straight to the corner chair so he would be able to catch sight of Bryce should he enter or leave the private dining rooms. Mallorie sat to his right, Roman following suit. Brucie sat down next to Roman, hoping to be able to get into a drinking contest with him. Niko eyed the four free spots, not liking the vantage point, but knowing it would be okay. He guided Kate to sit down on Bernie’s left, sliding the chair out and scooting it in for her when she sat down. He took the seat next to her and watched as the waitress started passing out menus. He had his back to the main door but could see the rest of the room, the entrance to the hallway, as well as the glass doors that lead to the outside patio.

“Mike and Ann will be taking care of you this evening and will be over shortly. Is there anything I can get you in the meantime?” Lisa finished handing out the menus as she circled the table, checking to make sure the silverware was in the right place, and unfolding napkins as she went and laying them in the guest’s laps. “I can also have someone come remove the extra chairs and place settings?”

“Please and just that they know our drinks and will have another round coming.” Roman said as he picked up the menu to study it.

“Certainly. Enjoy, and congratulations on the upcoming wedding.” Lisa did one final check before walking off to find their waiters and let them know about the drinks.

“Oh I hope I’ll be able to see Bryce at least once tonight. It will be the closest we’ve ever been to being in the same place out in public, while he is working.” Bernie pouted and lifted his menu to look it over.

“The deputy mayor?” Kate asked as she glanced around the dining room.

“Yes, he is my partner.”

“I thought he was married? Had a family?” Kate turned to look at him, unsure of the person he was speaking of.

“Yes yes I know. We will never be able to be together properly. It is hard to speak of. Excuse me, I’m going to go freshen up and get a grip.” Bernie stood up and headed for the restrooms.

“Well you learn something new every day.” Kate watched as he disappeared from view down the hallway.

“As I said earlier, society isn’t kind to him.” Niko reached over and pulled her chair closer to him. He didn’t like the space between them.

“Oh. I see now.” Kate reached out and placed her hand on his knee under the table. She had seen Roman pull Mallorie’s chair up next to his and had draped his arm across the back of her chair. They were talking to Brucie and laughing at something he had said.

“Must be some fundraiser they have going on tonight, has to be important with the way everyone is dressed up and how the photographers had lined the street.” Kate said as she glanced back over to the entrance of the dining room.

Niko looked over his shoulder and spotted Bryce looking around the dining room, as if in search of someone. Thomas was talking to what looked like a reporter. The rest of the crowd looked to be finely dressed rich people. He noticed the few security members that took up the rear of the group, spotting his contact from ULP. They made eye contact briefly before the contact turned and ushered the group along and into the hallway.

“Yeah some big charity gig to help get more funding for his lame ass tsunami protection for the island. Like we need it.” Brucie said glancing over the menu, even though he knew what he would be getting already.

“That dude is insane, we never get tsunami’s out here. A big storm occasionally. But never something to the magnitude he is suggesting.” Mallorie said.

“Yeah but you know the type, I’m sure he’s bought out and just running his mouth for whoever stuffs his pocketbook.” Brucie downed the pink drink that the waitress had brought him. It was dangerous, as it didn’t taste like alcohol, and it went down smooth. _‘Definitely getting more of this tonight’_

Bernie walked back over to the table and practically floated down into his seat, a giddy smile on his face. “There is hope after all.”

“What you two have a quickie in the restroom? On second thought I don’t need to know. Actually just tell me which stall to avoid.” Bruice cracked up nudged Roman getting a couple of chuckles out of him.

“I never! No. I won’t tell you anything.” Bernie shook his head but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading.

“Hold that thought,” Brucie held up his hand and pulled out his phone. “Ah crap. Gotta take this. Be back in a second. Order me another will ya?” He gestured to his empty glass and stood from the table answering the phone. He walked off toward the outside balcony that was in view of the table. It was set up as a cigar porch and several older men sat out on the balcony puffing on cigars and sipping on the fancy glasses of cognac.

“You have a look at the menu yet?” Niko nudged Kate’s knee with his hand snapping her out of her far off look.

“No net yet. Just taking in the view and the lovely restaurant is all. I figured the waiters would go over everything and have suggestions.” She took his hand and gave him a gentle squeeze. She was just a little overwhelmed at the group at the table and was trying to take it all in.

“Uh bad news guys, sorry but a client of mine is in town for the evening, and he says it’s urgent. I got to go. But see you guys tomorrow!” Brucie had rushed up to the table and said his goodbyes quickly, before dashing out of the main dining room, almost knocking over a waitress in his haste.

“And then there was five.” Bernie sipped from his glass of wine and shrugged. He was more comfortable with his old friends from his homeland and their dates, then he was with the other two around.

“Well that sucks.” Mallorie sighed, “Was hoping to have a good time with everyone. But we will make this work!” Mallorie cheered up as the waitress and waiter walked back over to the group.

“Good evening and congratulations! My name is Mike, and this is Ann, and we will be guiding you through an evening of culinary delight. Have a couple of our party members left for the evening?” Mike eyed the empty chairs.

“Yeah business calls.” Niko said, “But we will all be staying.”

“Very well, I see a few of us have drinks already, would the ladies like something to drink?” Mike pulled out his pad of paper and jotted down the few drinks he saw and waited for the women to answer him.

“I’ll take whiskey neat, double.” Kate spoke up, looking to Niko for guidance.

“Top shelf.” Roman interjected, “We are celebrating tonight! Mallorie my dear, what do you say?”

“I’m going to stick with water for now, maybe I’ll have something after the meal.” Mallorie smiled at the waitstaff and turned her attention back to her menu, hoping Roman wouldn’t push too much on her lack of drinking, as it had been what they had been indulging in almost every day for the past two weeks. They’d get done with work, rush home and get drunk before an evening of wild passionate lovemaking.

Ann walked off to go get Kate’s drink, leaving Mike to explain the specials and menu to the guests. “Our chef is very proud of his craft, and has created a tasting menu, off menu of course, and if any of you are interested, I will be happy to bring over that menu. It is definitely a treat, as the chef only does this once a month. Also featured off menu this evening is pan seared sea scallops with a romesco sauce as an appetizer, a bone-in dry aged ribeye steak 24 ounces with about 18 ounces of meat, and a filet trio with accompanying sauces and toppings that are featured on the menu. The sides are served family style and will be served tableside. Also available is Maine Lobster tails that are also carved table side, we have varying sizes of the tails available. Would you like a few minutes to glance over the menu options or perhaps look at the tasting menu?”

“A few minutes if you please, and I’d like to see the tasting menu, as well as the fresh seafood menu.” Mallorie lowered her menu and placed it down on the table. Nothing was catching her attention and she was craving seafood all of a sudden. The scallop dish sounding pretty good to her.

“Bread and water service okay?” Mike asked.

“Please, and extra bread and butter. I’m starving.” She smiled for him and glanced around the table to her friends, “Unless you want bottled water?”

“Bottled water.” Niko said looking to Mike. He’d want to see the bottles opened in front of him.

“Right away.” He quickly left the table and headed off to the kitchen.

“Mallorie, you hate seafood.” Roman said as soon as the waiter was out of earshot.

“Well maybe I wanna try something new dear. After all they say that certain seafood is an aphrodisiac…” She let the smirk spread and winked at him.

“Woman you know I don’t need any help in that department!” Roman took a large gulp from his glass and placed the empty glass down on the edge of the table.

“Roman! You are in the presence of others, mind your manners.” Bernie complained, “Or I will have to tell these lovely women of the many failed attempts you had back home.” He crossed his arms and sent Roman a playful smile. 

“That’s right! I remember this one time, what was her name Bernie, she had dark hair, blue eyes, the one that was the talk of the village, Roman would boast about how he had nailed her, only for her to have no clue who he was when we ran in to her at the bar.” Niko chuckled at the memory.

“Oh yes! Katarina. Ah she was so lovely. Poor Roman, everyone knew you hadn’t even talked to her.” Bernie laughed and took another sip of wine. “Ah good times.”

“Oh you think that was funny? How about the time Niko thought he had Mila all to himself? That lady was everyone’s company.” Roman laughed and shook his head.

“No! You went after Mila? Niko! Even I managed to sleep with her before the wars ended!” Bernie snorted and covered his mouth at having let that knowledge slip.

Roman busted out laughing and wiped his eyes when tears appeared. “Even a closeted gay man screwed her. Wow!”

“Ah well. There wasn’t many other women to date in the village anyway.” Niko shrugged. “Much, much, better women here in Liberty City.” Niko placed his arm around the back of Kate’s chair and trailed his fingers over the bare skin of her back.

“Mmm is that so?” Kate said eying him out of the corner of her eye. She was enjoying getting to hear about his past, but the subject was a little distasteful for her liking.

“I found you, there is no other women to be dated.” Niko gave her his soft smile, the one he only let her have.

“Ah such devotion!” Bernie sighed, “You were always so loyal and devoted to those around you Niko.”

“Loyalty is important to me, and I don’t like it being questioned, or have those around me be disloyal to me.” Niko finished his drink off as Ann walked back over and placed Kate’s drink down on the table. She had also brought over a large sealed bottle of water. Opening it up at the table she went about filling up the glasses in front of the guests and placed a coaster down by the empty chairs and set the bottle down, before offering to get refills for Niko and Roman.

“Yes please, that is good vodka.” Roman said and pointed to his cousin, “And yes, bring him another.”

Ann walked off with the empty glasses before Niko could protest, “Roman you know I don’t like to drink out in public.” He wouldn’t give the real reason. He needed to be on the lookout. Jimmy was still out there and so was Ray. With Brucie and Jacob gone from the dinner, he was going to have to be the eyes and ears tonight.

“Bullshit cousin. Celebrate with us. The place is as secure as the White House. You see how many men are walking around with earpieces and guns? Relax for once and enjoy the moment.” Roman rubbed Mallorie’s back.

“Yes Niko, lighten up just a touch, the brooding look can only get you so far.” Bernie cooed, enjoying getting to spend time with his old friends.

“It’ll be okay Niko. I need someone to cheers my drink with anyway!” Kate smiled at him and leaned back into his touch. His fingers on her back was giving her goosebumps.

“Here is the tasting menu and seafood menu, may I interest you in any appetizers this evening?” Mike placed the menus down on the table and removed some of the other place setting silverware from where Brucie and Jacob were going to sit.

“I’m a sucker for the prosciutto wrapped mozzarella, and the scallop dish you mentioned earlier sounded good, oh! Also the crab cakes, and the seafood tower. The seafood tower is a must. Those crab claws are just _muah_!” Bernie puckered his lips and pressed his fingertips to them and exaggerated the kiss noise. “That should start us off good!” He smiled at Mike and shooed him away. “What?”

Everyone at the table stared at him. Mallorie’s mouth was open and Roman quickly shut it with his index finger. “Bernie?”

“I’m paying for dinner anyway, well _Bryce_ is paying, my treat. He always gets so nervous when I meet him in public.” He shrugged and down the rest of his wine. “We had a date here once. It was closed, and he managed to convince the chef to stay open just for us. You will enjoy the food. Promise.”

“Would you like another glass of wine? Or did you want to switch to something else?” Ann asked as she placed the new drinks down by Niko and Roman.

“You have a wine list?”

“Certainly.”

“Ask the Sommelier, he is a good friend. He will know what to get me.”

“You sure you got this? It’s going to be an expensive meal.” Mallorie looked worried.

“My dear, for you and Roman, anything you want. I owe him and Niko much, and this is a small way I can repay them.” Bernie smiled to his old friends, he was wanting a good night and was ready to let loose and enjoy the evening.

“Thank you!” Mallorie leaped out of her chair and pulled the man into a hug, “Oh I am so excited. Please, explain the menu to me and show me what is good and what isn’t!” She pulled her chair up next to him and grabbed the tasting menu and regular menu.

“Cheers Niko.” Kate clinked her glass against his and took half the glass down. She was feeling excited at the prospect of a good meal and felt comfortable now that the group was smaller.

“Cheers Лепа ( _Lepa)_ ” He took a heavy gulp of his drink and set it down. _‘pace yourself now Niko’_

“ _How fitting, I expect to be invited to the wedding you know. She is the one for you, no doubt about it.”_ Florian/Bernie spoke when he heard Niko call the woman he was dating beautiful.

“ _Mind your business. Pay attention before they get suspicious of what we are talking about.”_ Niko eyed his old comrade across the table, he would be sure to not give himself away. If Florian could guess at where he was feeling about Kate, then anyone else in the dining room would be able to tell.

“I’m going to have to learn your language. It’s getting exhausting not knowing what you are talking about!” Kate huffed.

“Serbian, Russian, Croatian, or Romani?” Bernie suggested.

“What! You speak that many languages?” Kate looked disbelievingly at her boyfriend.

“A little Hebrew too. And you forgot Czech, but I don’t speak that as much anymore. Romani is also fading.” He smirked at the look he was getting, “What? I lived in a very mixed populated area. You had to be able to discern what others were talking about when at war.”

“Just another fascinating thing about you, and it’s very impressive.” Kate smiled and took a sip of water, “But which one do you normally speak?”

“If you ask me, it’s probably the Serbian, but lately he’s been cussing a lot in Russian.” Roman added. He felt bad about losing his Serbian. It had been so long since he was able to speak it to anyone and when Niko showed back up in his life, he realized he missed his native tongue.

“Yeah well if you’d stay away from the Russian card tables, I’d have no need to speak the language.” Niko glared over at his cousin.

“You know I hate it when you gamble. There is no need to now!” Mallorie pouted and turned her attention back to the tasting menu and asked Bernie about one of the dishes. 

“So many languages. I never knew.” Kate reached for his knee under the table and traced her nails over the dress pants.

“More ways to tell you how beautiful you are and how much you make me happy.” Niko leaned over and kissed her neck. “But I will stick to what you know, English.”

“Лепа ( _Lepa)_ I like. Did I say that right?” Kate tilted her head away to give him better access.

“ _Perfect._ ” He mumbled against her skin. He was going to be teaching her more words, maybe he could get her to beg in Serbian.

A busboy walked over and placed several loafs of bread on the table with slabs of butter for each person at their place setting. He lifted the water jug and filled Mallorie’s glass with more cool water.

“Thank you!” Mallorie called after him and tore into a loaf of bread, spreading the butter on it before devouring it. “God I’m hungry.”

“Niko?” Kate firmed her grip on his knee needing him to stop nibbling on her neck, she was getting aroused and wanted to be able to focus on the meal.

“Yes Лепа ( _Lepa)_?” He leaned back enough to look into her eyes.

She closed the distance and kissed him gently, “ _Later_ _моја љубав (moja ljubav)_ “ She had searched the web to be able to learn one phrase, and one phrase only. She had known she would have trouble keeping her hands to herself tonight. Especially after what they had done back at the apartment. And she knew if she slipped the only way she was going to be able to calm him was to speak his language. What she wasn’t expecting was the reaction she’d get.

“Come with me.“ Niko grabbed her hand and pulled her up and out of her seat. Her words had hit a nerve and he needed to get somewhere somewhat private.

“Ah young love!“ Bernie sighed as he watched Niko lead a surprised and worried Kate toward the restroom hallway.

He walked them to the darker end of the hallway and pressed her up against the wall with his body, his mouth searing over hers in a passionate kiss. His hands grabbing her waist, pushing himself flush into her frame. He broke the kiss off and stared at her in the dimly lit hallway by the restrooms. “You know what those words mean?“

“Only what I could find on the internet. Mallorie helped me. Did I say something wrong?“ She was breathing heavily, he had been feverish in his kissing and she was half expecting him to ask her to leave and go back to the apartment.

“I haven’t had anyone ever call me ’my love’ in my home language before. And that is about the loosest translation I can come up with. God Kate. All I want to do is leave here and make you mine. But I also don’t want to ruin my cousin’s special night.“ Niko pressed their forheads together, his hands fisting into her dress.

Kate shifted and lifted her leg to be able to hook over one of his, “Niko. All I want is to be yours. I am sorry if I said the wrong words. I was just trying to do something nice for you.“

“Katie. You have no idea the wicked and pleasureable things I wish to do to you.“ He closed the distance and grabbed her leg, hooking his hand under her knee and pulling her more around him. He pressed himself to her and fisted his hand into her hair, forcing her lips open with his own. She had opened the floodgates with her words and all he wanted to do was tell her what he was feeling, show her what those simple words meant to him, but it was much too public for his liking.

“Oh Niko.“ She sighed the words into his mouth and ran her hand down his chest over the satin tie she had picked out. She hooked her fingers over his belt and tired to slip her hand beneath the cloth of his pants, but with how he pressed himself to her, there was no space.

“Not here. Too public. After dinner. My place. I will do what I want with you.“ Niko let go of her hair and grabbed her hand to pull it away from him, locking their fingers together and pushing the back of her hand into the wall behind her. He slowed his kissing down and leaned back from her. “Tonight Лепа ( _Lepa)”_

“You promise?” Kate breathed heavily and tried to slow the quick beat of her heart.

“Yes and every day and night after. But we should get back to the table. I’m sure the teasing will start up the second we get back.” Niko released her leg and helped her find her footing. He placed another kiss to her lips. “I want you. And there will be no interruptions tonight.”

“Good.” She kissed him back and tried to stop from building herself back up, but it was so difficult with the way he felt pressed against her. “But I think I need to check myself in the bathroom to make sure my hair and makeup is alright first.”

“You never looked more beautiful to me then you do now.” He kissed her cheek, then the skin below her ear, her neck, back up below her jaw. “I’m going to stop I swear.”

“I wish to tell you not to stop, but we really do need to get back before the appetizers show up.” She gently pushed against Niko’s shoulders. “Maybe we can shower together first when we get back to the apartment, wash off all the makeup I have on?”

“Yes, I’ll work you up in the shower first, then take you on the bed. Or maybe in the shower. However you want me.” Niko sucked lightly on the skin of her neck. “But yes, dinner first. Then dessert.” He smirked at her and dragged his eyes over her body. “I will enjoy taking this off later.”

“God Niko! If I had known this was how you’d be when I met you, I would have just pulled you up to my room and been like have at me!” She kissed him hard before pulling away, “Okay, bathroom now. Then I will meet you back at the table?” She was breathing hard and was struggling to contain the fire that burned through her veins.

“Okay. See you out there. Hurry though, I don’t like having you out of my sight. And I’ll come looking if it takes too long.”

“Okay. Okay. Be right out.” She kissed him again and moved out of his grasp and slipped down the hall toward the female’s restroom.

Niko leaned against the wall for a minute then adjusted himself in his pants. She had gotten him hard so fast. He knew the embarrassment that awaited him at the table. _‘Maybe if I can get them to not bother Kate, things won’t be so bad’_

‘ _Get yourself together Kate! You were never like this before meeting him!’_ Kate glared at her reflection. Her makeup had stayed intact and the only thing that looked mussed up was her hair. She ran her fingers through it to try and make it lay right. He had reacted so passionately with her words. She would be sure to say them again when they got back to his place. She wanted to feel connected to him in more than just the verbal way. She wanted to give her body to him and enjoy the temptations of the flesh. She doubted they’d ever break up. She was too stubborn to give up, and she highly doubted he’d stray from her. The only thing between them being his criminal activity, and he had given her his word that he was stopping.

‘ _Kate, you love him. You know you do. There is no denying that. And you love all of him, not just the good and redeemable side. That wicked gleam in his eye, the violent killer that lays beneath, you know you love him too. You can’t just love one side of a person. It’s all or nothing.’_ She nodded to her reflection and straightened her shoulders. She would march out there, enjoy dinner, then go home with the man she loved and have him rock her world.

“You think any louder about him and I’d be able to decipher what words you were using.”

Kate jumped at the voice and whirled around to face the woman who had spoken, “Beg your pardon?”

“He’s rough, you know? Likes to take what he wants and doesn’t care if you aren’t satisfied.” The lady checked her nails before leaning up away from the bathroom stall and stalked over to stand in front of Kate. She had short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and had on an extremely tight fitting black dress, “My advice? Leave now before he hurts you. He’s involved in some serious trouble, and it won’t stop till either he is dead, or you are.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” She hit the counter as she tried to back away from the lady in front of her. “Wait you are the one with my brother at the bar!” Her eyes widened as she remembered seeing her sitting at the bar flirting back with her brother.

“Mm yeah. Not really into him. Not my type. Niko on the other hand, now that’s a man who knows how to handle a woman.” Karen placed her hands on either side of Kate on the sink counter, caging her in.

“You must be the ex then.” Kate narrowed her eyes and fought the trembling that wanted to start. She would be brave in front of this woman who thought to intimidate her.

“Not by choice, didn’t _really_ want to end it. But duty calls.” She gave Kate a once over. There were similarities between them physically. They were the same height, about the same build, but Kate looked young and innocent, and scared in her presence. _‘Easily breakable, and fragile for sure.’_

“I don’t appreciate the way you are speaking to me or the way you are in my personal space.” Kate tried to lean further away from the lady in front of her, only for her to come closer.

“If there is one thing your brother has said that had any form of merit tonight was that he doesn’t want you around a criminal. And Niko is one. Tell me, has he told you he loves you? Has he expressed himself in such a way? No? It’s because he doesn’t know how to and will never be that for you. He’ll fuck your brains out, but he won’t be able to handle the emotional baggage that you are.” Karen smirked at the frightened eyes that stared back at her.

“Princess of the Irish Mob and can’t even fight off a couple of intruders.” The words were cold and felt like a slap to the face, “See you around Princess.” Karen shoved off the counter and walked out of the bathroom leaving Kate to her thoughts. She pulled the door closed behind her, not wanting it to take its time shutting. She looked down the hallway toward the connecting one that led back toward the bar. The hall was empty and dark, the way she had left it.

She felt for her gun that was tucked into her thigh holster making sure it was in the right place. She had only taken this assignment once she had learned that Niko was going to be in attendance. She hated playing babysitter and was looking forward to maybe snagging him into a back room for a quickie. She figured he’d be upset, angry, and not ready to just jump into another relationship so quickly. She heard rumors of him dating again. Had kept tabs on his movements even after the coke bust… But when she saw him walk in with Katie on his arm, she grew mad. There was no way she should have been able to stomach being out in public after being attacked by those men, and it had ruined Karen’s plan to talk some sense into Niko.

She turned to head down the other direction in the hallway when she saw him leaning into the wall. His hands closed into fists, his forehead resting on them. His eyes were closed, but she knew better. She knew he had already heard her and knew she was standing there. She approached him on silent steps, leveling out her breathing. _‘Might as well get this over with…’_

“What do you want?” Niko didn’t bother to lean up away from the wall. He wasn’t ready to face her and wasn’t sure he’d be able to control his anger once she started up with her mocking tone and condescending words.

“To simply talk.” She turned and leaned her back into the wall next to him and crossed her arms.

“Yeah okay, sure. But I’m warning you. The second Kate walks out that restroom, we will never speak again. Understand?” Niko turned his head to be able to look at her in the dark corridor.

“Why the Princess of the Irish Mob? You literally could have anyone else and you go for Miss Unobtainable?!” Karen frowned at him not understanding why he went for Kate.

“You don’t really get a say or are entitled to an opinion since our whole relationship was a farce. But if you must know, she doesn’t need anything from me. She doesn’t need me to do dirty work for her, she doesn’t need me to go kill someone in the name of a country, she doesn’t need anything, but time spent together. There is no ulterior motive. It’s what I assume a real relationship is supposed to be like.” Niko shoved off the wall and started pacing back and forth in front of Karen not liking the enclosed space or the fact that he was even talking to her.

“It wasn’t all a farce, Niko. There was a realness to it. At least to me.” She thumped her head back into the wall and looked up to the ceiling, “Like I said, you’re a nice guy. Better than any of the other creeps I’ve dated. But you really are putting her in danger by being with her. You have no idea.” She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

“There you are! That creep I told you looked familiar? He’s up to no good. Got a hit on facial recognition.” Francis ran down the hallway gun drawn and was slightly panting, then he took notice of Niko standing in the hall with her, “Oh hey. You two need a minute?” He glanced between them. “My sis at the table guarded?”

“No I’m here. Sorry…” Kate walked out of the restroom and took the sight of her brother, weapon drawn, Niko’s ex leaned into the wall, and Niko facing the other direction. “You three look like you need to talk. I’ll just head back to the table.” She glanced around the group and hesitantly walked past her brother and Karen. She squeezed Niko’s hand as she passed him.

Niko squeezed her hand back when she took it. He wanted to just follow her back to the table, forget that her brother and his ex were even there, but he had said something about someone up to no good. He watched as she approached the end of the hallway and turn toward the dining room. He shook his head and turned to look back at the other two people in the hall.

Kate wished he had followed her. She wanted to get away from that lady so bad. Her words had hurt her in a way she wasn’t ready to deal with. Then when she came out of the restroom, she saw her standing near her boyfriend and her brother had his weapon out. She figured they had all been fighting again. _‘Probably about me and him being together. Francis just can’t drop it can he?’_ She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t see the person heading her direction and almost collided with them, “Sorry.” She mumbled.

A hand reached out and grabbed her forearm jerking her around to see them, “Well well well. If it isn’t won’t put out Kate!”

“Jason?” Kate gasped at seeing her ex. Well what would be her ex if they ever really dated. He had been so nice to her, till he made moves on her. Then it all became about sex and trying to get her to bed. She had complained one night to Gerry and Packie and hadn’t heard from him since.

“Yeah it’s me. Looking good, looking good. What do you say we slip into the closet over here and have a couple minutes to ourselves?” He yanked on her arm and caused her to stumble closer to him. She tried to slap him with her free arm, but he only caught her feeble attempt and twisted her arm behind her, forcing her to crash into him. “Come on, it’ll be fun, just you and me, and that sweet sweet virgin pussy of yours.” He breathed in her ear.

“Niko!” Kate hollered as loud as she could before a hand slapped over her mouth.

“Now now now! None of that. Don’t need anyone hearing us. Or is your big bad brother Gerry gonna beat me again? Please. That sad sack of shit is sitting in prison where he belongs. It’s just you and me now.” He went to drag her backwards when something cold and hand pressed to the back of his skull.

“No but her other brother is going to make you cell mates with Gerry. Hands behind your back!” Francis pushed the barrel of his gun into the back of the man’s head.

Francis, Niko, and Karen all took off at the shout of Niko’s name. Francis who already had his weapon drawn went for the guy first. He had received photos of all of the waitstaff that morning and was making sure everyone’s backgrounds checked out. He had gone to talk to Gerry after picking up his date’s dress and he had been warned about one of Kate’s ex suitors. He looked at the names listed of people working but didn’t see Jason’s name on it, or his picture. But he had Ron run everyone’s names and faces from the security cameras and his name came up as flagged.

Niko walked around the man and removed his hands from his girlfriend, “And if you are lucky, her brother will get you out of my sight before I cut your dick off and feed it to you.”

“Oh my God Niko, Francis!” Kate stumbled away from Jason and into Niko’s arms, her whole body starting to shake at having been so close to being assaulted again.

“You okay sis? Did he touch you or hurt you in any way?” He glanced at her in the dim hallway and grabbed one of the man’s arms pulling it behind him to be able to place handcuffs on him, keeping his gun pressed firmly to the back of his head.

“Look man, I didn’t do shit. We were just catching up! That’s all. Tell him sugar.” Jason pleaded with the officer that had gun to his head.

“I’m not your sugar.” Kate turned away from Jason and fought the urge to start crying. He had brought back some flashbacks of the men grabbing her arms to be able to handcuff her. And the woman’s words from the bathroom echoed in her mind. ‘ _Princess of the Irish Mob and can’t even fight off a couple of intruders’_

“Kate? You okay?” Niko pulled her flush against him and moved them away from the man who had grabbed her, wanting to attack him badly. He was infuriated at not being the one with the gun to his head. He would’ve pulled the trigger already, and he wasn’t sure what was taking Francis so long to cuff him.

“Give me a hand here Michelle. This sick fuck thought it’d be okay to harass my sister!” Francis released the man’s arm and tossed the handcuffs over to her, who caught them with ease.

“What did he do?” Niko’s accent thickened and he grew angry with what Francis had said. He was right behind him when they charged down the hall, but maybe Francis had seen or heard something he hadn’t.

“Niko, he was going to try and force me in the closet.” Kate flinched at the tone he used and slid out of Niko’s grasp. She backed up into the hallway wall, giving him space to be able to approach Jason and her brother. She wished she could just melt into the wall and disappear. She tilted her head back and focused on breathing. _‘Can’t have one night, can I?’_

“You wished to take what wasn’t yours, yes?” Niko got into Jason’s face and grabbed his white button down shirt, noticing the logo of the restaurant on the shirt pocket, forcing him to look him in the eye.

“What a complete idiot.” Karen mused as she approached the group to put the handcuffs on the man in Niko’s grasp.

Francis stepped back to give her room, but kept his gun trained on the asshole who touched his sister. This one would not be getting away with it if he had his way, “I threatened to make him cell mates with Gerry.” He smirked toward Niko.

“A fitting punishment.” Niko nodded at Francis, “Maybe he will get the message to finally leave what isn’t his alone. Kate is my girlfriend and is off limits. You hear? Tell Gerry I send my regards.” He roughly shoved the man into the wall and pulled his hands behind him and took the cuffs from Karen and put them on. _“uvidimsya v abu”_

“You mind telling me what’s going on?” The contact from ULP walked down the hall toward the group of people. One of the VIPs needed to use the restroom and he was going to make sure it was safe before they left the private dining room. He had caught some of what was being said, and figured the guy was getting arrested for assault.

“I ran into Jason. I didn’t know he worked here. He- He attacked me. Said he wanted to drag me into one of these closets. Thankfully my brother, Niko, and my brother’s _date_ found us quickly.” Kate let out a shaky breath. She had avoided being attacked, was dealing with the harsh words of the lady from the restroom, and the reality of everything was setting in. It was too much.

“I’m sorry. I hope your evening hasn’t been ruined.” The contact seemed genuinely concerned and sympathetic about what happened. He looked older in this moment to Niko. “Karen take this idiot down to our office instead of the precinct. Show him a good time.”

“Sure thing boss. Francis, you can be sure to take him to see Gerry after I’m done with him.” Karen moved closer to Niko and Jason and grabbed one of Jason’s arms and started to drag him down the hall to a back service elevator, stopping when she came to Francis’ side.

“Come on, let’s get you reacquainted with the McReary family, shall we?” Francis grabbed the collar of the man and helped haul him off. He was looking forward to seeing the look of delight on his brother’s face when he shoved this man into his cell. “See you around Niko, Katie.” He glanced back at them before moving out of their sight.

Kate leaned off the wall and back into Niko’s arms and closed her eyes. She felt like her whole evening was ruined. She had been on such a high, and then it came crashing down. Too many ups and downs were going to break her. She couldn’t bring herself to watch as they dragged Jason away. She could hear his loud protests about not being around Gerry.

“You two going to be alright? Karen is a trained IAA agent; she will be able to get answers out of him as to why he was here tonight.” The contact stood close by, but not close enough to be in their personal space.

“IAA?” Niko asked, gently rubbing Kate’s back trying to help calm her and get her back to her happy mood.

“Oops. Not like you hadn’t guessed it already.” The contact said sarcastically, “Take care Niko, Katie. I have to go make sure the restrooms are clear before Thomas leaves the room. See you around. We’ll talk later when I get a chance to leave the party.” The contact walked off toward the restrooms, checking doors for people and locking them as he went.

“I’m so sorry Kate.” Niko pulled her into a tight hug and tried to soothe her.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know Jason worked here. And I was not expecting to meet your ex tonight. She is _such_ a lovely lady.” Kate snorted at her comment.

“She’s a real bitch. She told me her name was Michelle when we first met. She was undercover trying to bring down the Coke and Heroin dealers and ended up dating me. Mallorie introduced us. I guess she had befriended her to try and get close to her friend Elizabeta. I had my doubts and wasn’t really into her, but I was new here, and she seemed interested in me and where I came from. Should have been my first clue.”

“She said you wouldn’t be able to handle my emotional baggage.” She pressed her face to his chest and forced herself not to cry.

“Have I given you a reason to believe what she said?” Niko spoke softly. He was angry that she had said something like that to her. And if he happened to cross paths with her again, he planned to tell her so.

“No, if anything you’ve been the exact opposite of what she was saying.” She looked up at him and tried to erase whatever doubt her words had started to create.

“Then trust in my actions and words.” He kissed her lightly, “Now I’m sure the food has gotten to the table already. But if you are done with this evening, we can leave. No need to prolong being uncomfortable.” He kissed her again with a little more heat.

“Your life always this exciting? Crazy ex-girlfriend who happens to be an IAA agent, motorcycle hitmen, weddings, rehearsal dinners, being attacked, avoiding being arrested at the entrance of a restaurant?”

“Pretty much. Never a dull moment.” He shrugged and smiled, “But it’s at least been more fun and enjoyable as of late. I have you in my life now.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” She kissed him and tried to settle her frayed emotions, “And yeah we might as well try to enjoy the rest of dinner. I could go for another drink or two.”

“And then we can pick up where we left off?” His hands ran over her sides and held her hips.

“I’ll try to save room for dessert.” She gave him a small smile. She needed a little bit longer to cool off and process running into Jason again.

“Okay. Let’s go sit down and have a drink, eat some good food, laugh with our friends, and then take the party back to my place.” Niko turned and held his arm out for her to take.

“Okay.” She took his arm and allowed him to lead her back out into the main dining room. She was thankful that the place had dim lighting. She had gotten used to the darkened hallway and was glad the dining room wasn’t much brighter. Seeing Jason had brought a lot of memories back to the forefront of her mind. He really had been the sweetest guy. Going on coffee dates, meeting up after work to go see a movie or just to hang out in the park, and then one evening in the park he had tried to kiss her. She wasn’t ready and backed off. He had gotten upset at her but relented. They met up the next day and he just became pushy and handsy.

She never liked to talk to her brothers about boys, seeing as how they always threatened to kill them, but he had tried to cop a feel under the sundress she had on and it scared her. She had run home from the park crying and trying to keep it together. She didn’t know what possessed her to barge into Packie’s room the second she made it up the stairs, but she needed to see someone who would protect her. He had yelled out about knocking and privacy and all that. But one look at his sister shut him up. Gerry was sitting at the computer desk in the room while Packie was stretched out on the bed. Both brothers had looked at each other before turning back to her, and the looks they gave her, broke her resolve. She had broken down and told them everything.

The following day Jason was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t want to think her brothers killed him, but he had just vanished from the face of the planet. At least now she knew he hadn’t been killed. Gerry must have beat the living hell out of him and told him to stay away. Which now she was extremely thankful for. Things might have taken a darker turn had he kept coming around her. Now he would get to see Gerry again. She shuddered at the thought.

“You okay?” Niko asked as they approached the table. The appetizers had yet to show, but they had new drinks waiting for them and Bernie had ordered a couple bottles of wine and everyone had a glass of champagne sitting in front of them.

“Yeah just hoping Gerry has a good time with his new friend.” Kate mumbled and smiled when Mallorie jumped up from the table to run over to them.

“Girl! You two were gone long enough! Sooooo? Is he everything I tease you about?” She laughed and grabbed both of Kate’s hands in hers.

“He’s all that and more. His ex-girlfriend however leaves much to be desired!” Kate held her hands and smiled at the way her new friend teased her.

_“De puta madre!_ Where is she Niko? I’m going to beat her up!” Mallorie swore in Spanish and had a couple of the tables close to them look over alarmed.

“Sorry,” Niko said to the people who looked over at them before addressing his friend, “She left, had to take someone to the Police Station. Calm down, we don’t need to make a scene.” He ushered both the women over to the table to take their seats.

“Niko I swear to God if I see her I will not be held responsible for what I do.” Mallorie fumed and plopped back down in her seat. She was seething and felt her emotions tumble all over the place.

“I will handle it if she comes around again.” Kate said as she downed the rest of her whiskey and reached for her new glass. Niko’s hand landing on the top of it before she could down another shot. She sent him a small glare.

“Hot damn!” Roman said clearly wanting to know what went down in the hallway to have her willing to take on a cop.

“She tried to scare me into leaving Niko in the restroom, and as I was leaving, I ran into Jason, who was someone who wanted to date me about 5 to 6 years ago. He thought he could pick things up where he left off and tried to put his hands on me. Francis, my brother, walked around the corner before anything could happen. Niko showed up a second later and they both took him down. That’s when, Karen?” She looked to Niko to see if she got the name right and saw his nod, “Showed up and helped arrest Jason.” Kate shrugged and took a large gulp of the whiskey.

“My goodness! Are you okay?” Bernie said hoping nothing serious had happened and that his friend’s relationship was okay.

“Getting there. Just wish this all could have happened later. I was so happy and excited for tonight, and now it feels like the universe is trying to stop that.” She leaned back in her chair and slumped her shoulders.

“It is still a great night! Don’t let this get you down. Look! Our appetizers are here!” Mallorie perked up with the sight of the food being placed around the table, several waiters placing plates down on the table in front of them, and adding utensils to be able to crack open snow crab claws, king crab legs, and tiny forks to dig the meat out. The waiters worked to put at least one of everything on each of the guests plates and put the remainder of the food in the center of the table.

“Drink refreshers?” Mike asked as he came up to the table to make sure the food made it to the table and was up to the standards of the chef.

“Yes and keep them coming.” Roman said as he eyed all the food on his plate trying to decide what he wanted to start with first.

“I’ll be back in a little bit to take your dinner order.” He bowed slightly and made to move away from the table.

“No rush, we are in no hurry!” Mallorie called after him.

“Please everyone, dig in!” Bernie immediately started to work on the snow crab claws.

Kate fiddled with her food till she just decided she would process everything later. There would be no point in dwelling on it, or letting her fear keep creeping up on her. She took one bite of a sea scallop and felt her emotions settle. She was never into fancy food, having enjoyed going to diners or having a home cooked meal, but this food was exceptional. The flavors, textures, and fragrance blocking out her muddled mind. She would let go for now and try to get back to the place she was in before going into the hallway.

“Say Bernie, what did you call these?” Niko held up his fork that had a piece of the prosciutto wrapped mozzarella.

“Besides the best thing you ever ate? Those are mozzarella balls wrapped in prosciutto, a type of bacon if you will, and it’s glazed with this awesomely aged balsamic vinegar. Reminds you of the cheese curds from home doesn’t it?” Bernie always got an order when he came to Jerkov’s. It reminded him of something they had all the time as bar food back home.

“It does! I wasn’t expecting that.” Niko picked up another and put it on his plate, before cutting it in half and placing some on Kate’s plate. “Try it, it’s very good.”

Kate smiled at him and took a bite, not expecting the rush of flavor to hit her. “Wow, those are good!”

They continued to eat in relative silence, enjoying the food Bernie had ordered. Everything was prepared at a high level of precision, and nothing felt overdone. Kate even managed to get Niko to try oysters, to which he almost gagged on them. Bernie chastising him for his poor table manners.

“Are we ready to place our dinner orders?” Mike had walked back over placing a new drink down in front of Roman, he was watching the level of drinks at the table and would be sure to keep their glasses full.

“I think so, you guys ready?” Mallorie said wiping her mouth on her napkin.

“I’ll start, since I know what I want.” Bernie piped up. Mike walked over to his chair and took his order, then moved around the table taking down everyone’s order, asking questions and making sure everything would be to their liking.

“The dancing has started in the bar lounge, if you’d like to go work off some of the appetizers, before your first course arrives?” Mike suggested as he took a couple of empty plates off the table.

“Oh yes Roman! Please?” Mallorie bounced in her seat.

“Anything for you my dear!” Roman gave Niko a knowing look and stood up from the table and lead his fiancé back toward the bar.

“We will keep an eye out for the food!” Niko called after them.

“What was that look for?” Bernie asked, having seen the look shared between the two cousins.

“He bought her an actual engagement ring; he plans to properly propose.” Niko smirked and had to chuckle. Mallorie was in for one huge surprise. 

“Ah the Bellic’s are truly the last of the romantics on this planet.” Bernie signed and glanced back to the double doors that had been propped open to allow the music to flow into the dining room.

“Niko, a word if you don’t mind?” The contact walked up to the table, needing to speak with him. He gave him a somewhat pleading look, hoping he wouldn’t put up much of a fight.

“It’s okay Niko, I’ll stay here at the table with Bernie. He can tell me stories of how you grew up.” She didn’t want him to leave, but something about the way the guy asked had her forcing her protest down.

“Okay, but we are going to go out on the balcony, where I will be able to see you.” Niko wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin and stood up, “Shall we?” He motioned for the contact to move toward the glass doors to the outside. They moved silently out the doors and toward the concrete railing, staying within view of the table. Niko leaned back into it and crossed his arms. The wind was definitely colder out on the balcony.

“Look Niko. I didn’t know you were dating her.” The contact started.

“So? Not sure what difference that makes.” Niko shifted and fixed his gaze on his girlfriend as she chatted away with Bernie.

“Had I known how important she was to you; I would have reached out sooner.”

Now that caught his attention, he glanced over at him, “About what exactly?”

“Karen has been following some chatter we’ve been getting about a major sex trafficking ring that is trying to get established in Liberty City. You know Ray Bulgarin. Having worked for him for a short bit overseas. Well he has been making waves in LC. Getting involved with the Albanian faction. Dimitri had placed a price on your girlfriend’s head...”

Niko tried not to flinch. He had hoped to have kept his relationship with Kate a secret from his enemies. But he must have slipped up at some point. “A price to be killed?”

“No, a price to be brought in. We managed to capture a couple of Russian muscle, ones that really have a dislike for you, and after _talking_ we managed to get it out of them that they planned to capture you on the Platypus and make you watch as they raped her repeatedly in front of you. They knew you would never make the deal with Dimitri and had set a trap for you.” He glanced to see the color drain from Niko’s face, “But you weren’t captured, were you?”

“ _I killed everyone on that ship._ ” Niko didn’t have the strength to translate anymore. His legs wanted to buckle under him, and he was trying to keep from shaking. He had managed to conjure the image of her being held down on that dingey ship, being violently raped in front of him, begging Dimitri’s men to stop.

“ _I figured. When Jimmy got to boasting about how big the Heroin deal was going to be for him, we moved on the location. But my agents in the area found you sweeping the ship, taking everyone down, and I figured we’d leave you be._ ” The contact switching to Serbian easily. Having been heavily involved in the Cold War, and the ending of the Bosnian War.

“ _If you knew so much? Why didn’t you stop Kate from being violated and her mother from being executed?”_ Niko looked over to the man who had blackmailed him into working for the government.

“ _They didn’t give us a name, didn’t have one, only that your girlfriend was to be captured. When we got to the ship, I gave the order to try and figure out who your girlfriend was and stop them from bringing her to the ship. Karen knew. Somehow, she knew who your girlfriend was. How? I don’t know. But you were leaving the dock.”_

“ _If this was known, it still doesn’t answer my question! Why didn’t you stop them?”_ Niko was getting worked up. If they knew, they could have called him, told him! Something!

“Niko this was happening all at once, we were scrambling to figure things out. My agents, who got to the dock as you killed Dimitri, backed off on my order. I told them to only observe, to not interfere. Hell, you just took down 40 something Russian mobsters and killed one of their high table members. You think I wanted to have them approach you after that? No!” The contact pushed off the wall and started pacing back and forth. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking several long drags off of it. “Jesus Niko! I called Karen and begged her to find your girlfriend immediately as she wasn’t one of the bodies on the ship.”

“So you found out too late?” Niko lowered his voice.

“Karen managed to kill the power to the street she lives on, except for the McReary house. She figured you’d take notice before our agents were able to get on site.” He sighed and scrubbed at his eyes, “We picked up a call from the city morgue. We were too late.”

“That explains why you were surprised to see Kate alive down at the entrance?”

“Yeah I figured the body reported was her’s. I didn’t know the mom was also at the residence and was the one killed. I was taken off the case once I reported Dimitri’s death. We took credit, I botched the reports. You’ve been through enough. But I was moved to the head of security for tonight’s charity event. I haven’t had time to check in.” He moved over to Niko’s side and leaned back into the railing, taking another long drag off his cigarette.

“What about Jimmy?” Niko was trying to piece everything together. He wanted to go kill Dimitri again, now knowing the extent of his plan to get even.

“We found him murdered this morning. Russian execution style. As well as his wife. The whole house was burned to the ground.”

“ _Fucking hell!_ ” Niko swore. ‘ _At least he’s one last person to worry about now…’_

“My thoughts exactly. But Ray? We think he’s going to make a break for it. We’ve locked down the docks and airport. Flagged his identity. But he has friends in high places, and that worries me more than just dealing with him.” He took another drag, “We need to eliminate him, and soon Niko.”

“You think I don’t know that!” Niko threw his hands up in the air, “You’re the ones who are supposed to protect the people in this city and country! Not me! I have done my share of working both sides of the table. I have a girlfriend who was nearly raped because I pissed off some Russian asshole for killing their associate who was forcing my cousin’s girlfriend to sleep with him to settle debts. And now the one man who I tried to get away from in Europe, is back trying to kill me and ruin everything else in my life.” He scoffed and shook his head.

“I’m on your side Niko. I had a daughter once. And a wife. They were killed in front of me back in the 90s. I was undercover in Moscow, my cover was blown, Russians are ruthless mother fuckers you know?” He threw his finished cigarette on the ground and stepped on it with his shoe.

“I know. So is everyone involved in organized crime or the five major families.” Niko was surprised about the little insight he got into the contact’s life.

“Name’s Bernard. And I want to make sure you don’t end up like me- full of hate, regrets, anger, and rage. I see a lot of myself in you. And I’m going to need your help, and you’ll need mine, if we are going to take these assholes down.” He extended his hand toward Niko. He was going to trust him and make sure they took down the entire Russian syndicate in Liberty.

“Niko, but you already knew that.” Niko shook his hand. “There is one small favor you can do for me.”

“Name it.”

Kate watched the two of them talk outside, and she didn’t like the way Niko had tensed up. But she would let him tell her about their conversation later. This was going to be part of their relationship now. Mysterious people were bound to pop up and talk to him as if they had worked together for years.

“You know. You don’t strike me as someone used to his line of work.” Bernie eyed his friend’s girlfriend. He was beginning to like her but knew that Niko’s darkness would surely turn her away.

“My family was once the strongest mob family in Dukes. My father was a ruthless, evil, and vile man. And he instilled that into my brothers. Gerry McReary, one of my older brothers took over when my father killed himself eight years ago. I have witnessed brutal fights between my family, and I have been violated. I know what people are capable of and have seen that look flash across Niko’s face. But I know with all my heart he would never lay his hands on me in violence.” Kate said never looking away from the conversation happening outside on the balcony.

“War changes people,” Bernie dropped his high pitched voice, wanting to make sure she knew how serious he was being. It worked as she turned abruptly toward him. “We grew up together. Niko dreamed of leaving and moving to America or wherever, to become an astronaut. I wanted to go to Paris and work in fashion. We were all so poor, no electricity, no plumbing, and you can only imagine what winter got like. His father, as well as Roman’s father, were nothing but drunken wife beaters. To this day I don’t know who killed Niko’s dad. But when the wars came, I banded together with Niko. We had a friendship, as well as Goran, Mijo, Dragan, Dmitar, and Darko. Darko betrayed us. Everyone was killed. Niko, myself, and Darko escaped. I thought poorly of Niko. Thinking it was him, but when he found me in Liberty, and who I had become, he knew I couldn’t have betrayed the unit.” He paused to take a long drink from his wine glass.

“Why are you telling me this?” Kate didn’t understand where he was coming from.

“Dear, I don’t want you to break Niko’s heart. He has done things that even make my skin crawl. But he is good, and has a heart of gold, it’s just been tarnished from all the grime of war. You will have to work with him to get that gold heart polished. But please. Don’t hurt him by leaving him when things come to light. As you say, he will never harm you, if I have any say, he loves you more than you will ever know, but he has a dark cloud that follows him. Just remember that and hold on to the knowledge that he is not like those around him.” He smiled sadly and looked back over to where he saw Niko throw his hands up in the air.

“I do love him. I’ve come to terms with that. But I worry that he will not be able to get out from under that dark cloud you talk about.” Kate finished her drink off and placed it down on the table, wishing she had another to down.

“We all have skeletons in the closet, but it’s what we do to keep that door closed, and how we move away from it.” Bernie placed his hand down over hers on the table, “If you love him, you will be able to shine light into his darkness, and possibly save him from being swallowed up by it.” He smiled for her and took her hand into both of his, “Now tell me, what do you love about him?”

“He is kind, gentle, caring, and even when I knew he was doing dirty work for my brothers, he always made it to where I didn’t know. He made time for us. Every time we would hang out, he never once spoke of violence or the things he did. He kept that side away from our time together. I never wanted those nights to end at times. He made me feel like I was the only one he had time for and that I was someone special. I don’t know. It’s crazy, I’m sure, but I had grown attached to him long before we were ever physically close. I was almost raped and killed last night, and I knew he would come for me. I just knew. I don’t know how.” Kate squeezed his hand and felt good at being able to slightly talk about what almost happened.

“Niko has that effect on people. And trust me, he will keep you safe. Whether that’s violently, verbally, monetary, or just emotionally. He has saved my ass more than once. He is good. Just remember that when things get rough, and I’m sure it will get much _much_ worse knowing that someone is out there that hurt you. He may have killed those who attacked you?” Kate nodded at his assumption, “But there is always someone else waiting in the wings.”

“Yes, he killed the man on top of me, who was trying to finger me. And he killed the other one who tried to get me to give him oral. Things are kind of a blur at times. But thank you, for listening. It will get difficult I’m sure for me. But I am trying to get past it so Niko and I can be together in every way possible. I want to give him me, all of me.”

“As silly as it is coming from me, having long changed sides of the playing field, Niko would be honored. People boast about his sexual prowess, but really. I think he had sex a couple of times with an old flame in the homeland a couple of years into the war, and then Roman tells me of his ex here in LC, but he’s not some deviant, if that was a fear of yours. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. But just enjoy it. Don’t put so much thought behind it. Your heart and soul will lead you. Once you make it something more than just sharing each other’s bodies and as a way to show feelings, it becomes complicated.”

“Thank you. Honestly, I’m not sure, no offense, but I feel a million times better after talking to you!” Kate smiled and laughed a little, feeling lighter and better after everything that happened in the hallway.

“Any time my love! I am only a phone call away! Plus, I need a new brunch friend! Oh, I have this cute little pastry place by my apartment that serves the best tea and cake. I will need to steal you away and fill your head with sooooo many stories of our boy Niko!” Bernie had switched back to his new persona having seen Niko walk back into the dining room. “And I will need to teach you how to curse is Serbian. So much fun!” Bernie clapped his hands together and smiled brightly for Niko as he took his seat again.

“Now Bernie hasn’t already filled your head will tall stories from our childhood, has he?” Niko looked both of them over and could almost see the weight lifted from Kate’s shoulders, her smile and eyes brightening at getting to see him again. “ _I will thank you properly later Florian, you have done your thing._ ”

“ _Don’t. She loves you, and you better take care of her or so help me I will be the one to bury you in some random field.”_ Florian narrowed his eyes at him and then switched back to his jovial self, “But honestly, where did you find such a lovely flower as her?”

“When you manage to stumble into the home of the Irish Mob, you tend to not expect to find her standing in the living room giving her brothers hell.” Niko chuckled and kissed the side of Kate’s head.

“Oh yes! Was it my telling Packie the difference between talking and casual sex that had you SO enthralled?” Kate giggled and wrapped her arms around Niko’s neck. She hugged him tightly and moved back enough to be able to kiss him once.

“KATE!” Mallorie shrieked as she came running up to the table from the bar lounge. “LOOK LOOK LOOK!” She bounced up and down waiting for her friend to stand up from the table, “Roman proposed!” She was practically floating in her excitement.

“That’s wonderful! Let me see the ring!” Kate stood from her chair and did the happy dance with Mallorie, both of them jumping around in a small circle and giggling madly.

Mallorie held her hand out for her to see, and the massive rock that shone in the dim light of the dining room. The other tables close by started clapping and congratulating them. Mallorie let a couple of tears fall from her eyes and grabbed her new friend into a tight hug, “Oh tonight is just perfect! You knew didn’t you!” She scolded slightly.

“Me? No! Niko on the other hand…” She smirked slightly to her boyfriend who had taken on such an innocent look.

“Oh you! Come here! _God bless you for coming back into Roman’s life!_ ” Mallorie said in Spanish pulling Niko out of his chair and giving him a bone crushing hug.

“We need to celebrate! Cheers!” Roman walked over to his seat and picked up his glass of champagne and his soon to be wife’s glass, bringing it over to her.

Niko picked up his glass and couldn’t stop the bright smile that tugged at his mouth. His life was all over the place, but it was moments like this that he lived for. Kate grabbed her glass and pulled Bernie to his feet forcing him to come join them. Together they all clinked their glasses together.

“Speech!” Someone yelled from a nearby table.

“You’re the best man Niko!” Roman took a sip of the champagne and smirked at the glare he received from his cousin. 

“Very well then. It was six months ago that I arrived here in Liberty City. I didn’t have much, only the clothes on my back- having spent 7 months at sea. But when I got off the boat and my cousin greeted me; I knew I was in for one hell of an adventure. I didn’t know how serious he was about his relationship till he called me worried she was going to leave him. We spent the next few days working on getting her to stay with him, as she was the best thing to happen to him. I knew they would make it in the long haul. Having seen the devotion my cousin has for his fiancé. To the rest of your lives cousin!” Niko raised his glass, as did most of the dining room. He saw Bernard raise a glass from the patio and nodded to him, they would be getting to work tomorrow after the wedding. There was a storm heading for Liberty City, one he was determined to survive.

“Thank you, cousin!” Everyone took a sip of their drink and shouted their cheers and congratulations.

They all took their seats and settled in as their salads and soup came to the table. Kate had moved her seat closer to Bernie, and in turn moved Niko’s chair closer to her. She was feeling buzzed now with her conversation with Florian/Bernie, as well as the copious amount of whiskey and champagne she had downed in the last 15 minutes. She kept her hand firmly placed on Niko’s knee and every now and then would skim her hand up to his thigh and back down to rest over his knee.

Niko had placed his hand on the back of her chair and kept a steady rhythm of moving his fingers over the cutout in her dress over her spine. He had ordered the lobster bisque like Kate had, not really being in the mood for a salad, and he also knew he would only need one hand to eat it, as he wanted to keep his other hand on her at all times. He had learned to be ambidextrous while fighting in the war and could use both hands for most things- firing a weapon, handling a knife in a fight, and it allowed him to switch fighting styles seamlessly while doing hand to hand combat. He would use his left hand to eat, and his right to keep teasing his girlfriend.

The waiter had brought over another round of drinks and Niko downed the whole thing having finished his soup, Roman saw the motion and followed suit. It had been a long time since he was challenged to a drinking contest, but he would not be drinking the rest of the night. He knew now that Ray was behind it all and would need to be extremely diligent when being out in public. He nodded to his cousin and moved his glass to the edge of the table.

“Hey Mike, would you mind just brining the bottle of vodka to the table? Do you have bottle service here?” Roman asked when the waiter came over to remove some of the empty dishes and refill the water glasses.

“I can ask the bar if you’d like?” Mike had never had a table ask for a bottle of liquor before.

“Don’t bother, already ahead of you.” Bernard walked over carrying a very expensive crystal decanter of vodka, “Been saving this for the right occasion. Tonight, is it.” Bernard took one of the empty chairs at the table and flipped it around to sit backwards on it. “Can you bring me a few empty glasses though?” He looked up at the waiter and flashed his IAA badge.

“Right away sir!” Mike scrambled off to the bar.

“I’m an old friend of Niko’s and couldn’t help but overhear that someone is getting married. As is customary, _in the homeland_ , I have brought the finest alcohol I can find. A gift to show my loyalty. _To bear arms to the end_.” He held up the glass bottle. It was a good cover to show his loyalty to the men at the table, and to make amends to Niko.

Niko, Roman, and even Florian eyed him cautiously. Then looked at one another in disbelief. 

“ _You know the ways of the blood oath then._ ” Florian leaned forward and looked the man up and down, not liking an outsider knowing the ways of the oath. But followed the custom and removed his suit coat and rolled his sleeves up. Revealing the many scars on his arms. Niko and Roman following suit, removing their outer layers and rolling up their sleeves.

“I do.” Bernard nodded at Mike when we brought over a round of fresh glasses, taking away all the empty ones from the table, and leaving just as quickly. He removed his suit jacket, showing his gun on his hip. He carefully laid it on the table as well as placed his badge down on top of it. He rolled up his sleeves on his dress shirt allowing each person at the table to see he didn’t have anything up his sleeves. He took each of the empty glasses and poured a shot each, handing them to each person, not placing them in front of them, but waiting for them to take the glass from him. Once everyone had a shot, he raised his glass- to begin the ceremony:

“ _To my dying breath, I take arms with my brethren, to see the end of the storm._ ” Bernard held his glass up and pledged his allegiance.

“ _To the end of the battle I will stand shield and sword to those who need it._ ” Florian raised his glass and looked to Roman and Niko waiting for them to take the oath. He need not know the details, but one did not simply walk over and pledge dying allegiance to the cause without reason, especially an outsider as the man who sat down at their table. He removed his knife and switch blade from his pockets and placed them down on the table. He wasn’t one to carry anything anymore, but he had felt the need to be prepared tonight, and miraculously made it through security.

“ _To be the one who never tires in the cause and will do what he can to provide and protect those who need it._ ” Roman had removed his suit jacket and vest and rolled his sleeves up when the others had, showing his forearms to the table before being handed the shot. He may not speak the language much anymore, but he knew the words of the oath, having read them over and over with his mother before leaving for America.

“ _To be the sharp end of the sword. To end our enemies and bring an end to the struggle of our people. To seek out those who wish to do us harm and extinguish their fire. To this I pledge my dying breath to end the war of wars._ ” Niko removed his pistol and placed it down on the table, removed the knife from his belt, and turned his forearm over to show the only tattoo he had to the table, “ _Pledge with me brothers, to keep those we love safe, and to finish this fight_.” The boxy words of “Freedom” were tattooed on his forearm, almost at the junction of the crease of his elbow.

Florian turned his arm over and revealed the same tattoo, “ _To the end Niko, friends, to the end_!”

Bernard turned his arm over to show he too had a tattoo, but this one was the one from the men in the McReary home. The large, bold, boxy letters of _debt_ etched into his skin, the burn of the circle and slash through evident. “ _I pledged once before, and swore to avenge those who died, and tonight I make the same pledge to you. No more shall die this night._ ” He raised his glass and gave the three men a solemn look. After his wife and daughter were killed, he vowed vengeance. Had taken an oath from a squad of men in Romania to help destroy those who had killed his family. He killed them all and got his justice. Soon after he was extracted back to America to help fight the cause on the Homefront.

Roman didn’t have the markings, since he moved to America before the wars started, but he still had the makeshift tattoo Niko had given him on his 18th birthday. He switched hands holding the glass and showed the tattoo saying _brothers_ on his right wrist. “ _Together in arms, brothers._ ” 

“ _To the end, and to be free, once and for all_!” Niko raised his glass and watched as the other men did the same. “To see the happiness in those we care about and to see to their safety and needs.” He spoke the words in English to give Kate and Mallorie something to cheers.

“I may not speak your language, but cheers to finding happiness and peace, our own slice of the American dream.” Mallorie raised her glass. “ _May God have mercy on our enemies, for we won’t_.” She added in Spanish. She had figured this was some kind of ritual to go to battle, and with what had happened to her friend’s lately, she would be making calls soon to have her family’s cartel members come pay them a visit.

“When my brother’s would come home drunk and be celebrating some achievement I knew nothing about they would say something along the lines of- Here’s to you and yours, and to mine and ours, and if mine and ours ever come across you and yours, I hope you and yours will do as much for mine and ours, as mine and ours have done for you and yours!” Kate raised her glass, fascinated with the words spoken between all the men at the table. She had been witness to something special she was sure.

“Cheers! _To our drying breath_!” Bernard down his shot and winced as the sting of the alcohol burned his mouth and throat.

“ _To our dying breath_!” Florian finished his shot and went to pocket his weapons, rolling down his sleeves and putting on his suit jacket again.

“ _To our dying breath_!” Roman down the shot easily, appreciating the fine vodka and smoothness of the liquid. He rolled down his sleeves and put on his vest but left his jacket on the back of his chair. He was feeling warm with the alcohol flowing through his system.

“ _To our dying breath_!” Niko down the shot and glanced to each of his comrades. Bernard had proven himself tonight, and he would no longer doubt him or his pull on the government. He had given the blood oath, and had they been at home, someone would be marking the words into their skin as they took the shot. It was not given lightly. And he nodded to him to show he understood what he did this evening.

Kate took her shot and made a face at the taste. It was bitter and sour, but it sent a warmth through her. “Did I just join the Serbian mob or something?”

“No you didn’t, but I have joined your circle of friend’s this evening.” Bernard poured himself another shot, “Niko?”

“ _Sure_ ” Niko held his glass out and watched as another shot was poured into this glass, “ _And this one?”_

_“To my wife and daughter, may they rest in peace.”_

“ _To my brother, my aunt, Ma… may they find their resting place.”_ The two clinked their glasses and downed the shots.

“Congratulations Mallorie and Roman, I hope I’m not intruding tomorrow, but I do love weddings.” Bernard smiled to the soon to be newlyweds.

“Oh please come! We wanted a big wedding, but my family couldn’t make it from Puerto Rico. It would be nice to have friends there!” Mallorie had only taken a small sip of the vodka and had faked sipping on the champagne. She was almost positive she was pregnant. And until she knew one way or another, she was going to be treating herself like she was.

“Then I will be there. Enjoy your dinner and evening. I have to get back to the party. Thank you.” He left the bottle of vodka on the table, as a sign of good faith, and headed back toward the private dining rooms.

“So. The oath huh?” Roman asked reaching for the bottle to give himself another shot, “Been at least ten years since I heard the many words and phrases from my mother.”

“And it was fascinating to see an outsider know it. You do have such strange friends and associates Niko.” Bernie held his glass out to get another shot from Roman. It was very odd for anyone outside of the army to know how to properly pledge themselves to the good fight. “He was also marked. Russian’s don’t let their marks go so easily.”

“He told me his wife and daughter were killed. I guess he did what he thought he needed to do in order to get revenge. You recognized the tattoo?” Niko watched as Roman poured him another but decided to wait. He was feeling buzzed and he didn’t want to lower his guard too much. Someone had already tried to attack Kate tonight inside the restaurant, he wasn’t going to risk another slip up.

“It reminded me of the one Darko got. He came back the night before we were betrayed with a brand new tattoo, the same ink that your friend had. I didn’t put much thought into it. But I guess he had got it in order to get the drugs he needed so desperately or something.” Bernie took the shot and saluted Roman before downing it and going back to eating his salad.

“Darko had a tattoo and burn?” This was news to Niko. He had been on first watch that day and had passed out first before the others had returned from post.

“It was a long time ago. But I do remember him having a _debt_ tattoo on his arm. He stumbled into our camp right before dawn, high as all get out, and couldn’t put a coherent sentence together. I was on guard and helped him to his cot. I should have known something was wrong. But we were set to head out that morning, and figured he’d be alright at the time we were leaving.” Bernie’s eyes glazed over with the memory and had to shake himself out of it. What was done was done and he managed to survive the ambush. 

“This guy Darko, he was the one who betrayed you two?” Kate finished her soup and motioned for Roman to pour her another shot. She was getting to learn so many things about Niko’s past, and it was a lot to take in.

“Yes, Florian tell you the story?” Niko handed her his glass to finish his shot off. He was going to be taking a break from drinking till he got more food in him.

“Kind of. He mentioned it in passing.” Kate took his shot and downed it.

“ _Don’t fret Niko. She doesn’t know the full story. Just that he betrayed us. She doesn’t need to know. And even if you tell her, it won’t change anything between the two of you. She loves you too much to care._ ” Bernie smiled at Kate when she glanced at him.

“That is all the recognition he deserves.” Niko took the last few spoonful’s of soup and pushed his bowl away from him.

“I’m still shocked you didn’t kill him when we met up with him at the airport.” Roman downed his shot and involuntarily shook at the bitterness that washed over him with the alcohol.

“You saw him?” Bernie’s voice dropped and he looked alarmed, “Why is he still alive? What happened to your revenge?”

“If you could have seen him- the strung out way he was. Death was too good for him. He was suffering more by being alive. Then dead.” Niko shook his head and lowered his gaze to the table. He had seen him and let him go right before meeting up with Jimmy about the Heroin deal. He still hadn’t really had the chance to process his decision. It was pretty much nonstop after leaving the airport, and now he sat in the finest restaurant in Liberty, eating expensive food, drinking the smoothest vodka, girlfriend next to him, and contemplating his life. Things had tumbled around in his life in the last 48 hours.

“I’m proud of you. You made the right choice.” Kate placed her hand on his leg and smiled for him. She may not know the whole story, but he had spared someone who had done something evil.

“Maybe. For all I know he is out there terrorizing the city and shooting whatever junk he can get his hands on into his arm.” Niko placed his hand over hers.

“Good riddance I say.” Roman finished his salad and pushed away from the table. “Gotta go break the seal.” He chuckled and staggered away to the restrooms.

“I’m going to make sure he goes in the right restroom. He gets confused when drunk sometimes.” Mallorie stood and followed her stumbling fiancé toward the restrooms.

Bernie stood to go walk out onto the patio, “I’m going to go sit out there for a little bit and chat up our Deputy Mayor.” He winked at them and headed for the balcony.

“He really doesn’t have a chance to steal him away does he?” Kate said as he walked outside and plopped down on a chair next to where Bryce stood talking to a couple of people in suits.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t really know their relationship well enough, or if they really do have a relationship. Or how it works.” Niko leaned back into his chair and ran his fingertips over her spine.

“I hope that we will have quiet, uneventful evenings one day soon.” She propped her elbows on the table and placed her chin in one of her hands, looking over to him.

He chuckled at her, “I hope so too. Rainy nights that keep us inside the apartment. I’ll turn my cell phone off, we can order pizza or something, and just lounge about on the couch. I don’t know very many TV shows or movies, you could introduce me to some of your favorites.”

“Mmm I was thinking more along the lines of not getting out of bed, and just lounging around in your arms.” She smirked at the look he was giving her, “Maybe you can teach me some new words?”

“I’d teach you more than words.” He slowed his stroking of her spine and placed his hand flush against her skin. He trailed his hand over her soft flesh and dipped his fingers into the edge of her dress over her shoulder. “I’d show you what they meant.”

“I’d like that Niko. Maybe tonight you can teach me one of the words?” She let out a content sigh at the feeling of his hand on her back. She always felt so comfortable and safe when he placed his hands on her. It didn’t matter where the touch was- face, waist, hand, back, her more sensitive areas. His touch was a blessing and it soothed her soul.

“Which word would you like to know Лепа ( _Lepa)_?” Niko slid his hand down her back to her side, smoothing the dress as he went. He leaned forward, watching as she licked her lips.

“Definitely good vodka.” Roman mumbled as he plopped back down into his seat, interrupting Niko and Kate.

“You are hitting it too quickly. Slow down a little. Don’t need you hung over for tomorrow morning.” Mallorie whined and sat down in her chair, “Where did Bernie go?”

“He’s outside talking. He will be back in shortly.” Kate smiled at her friends, trying to keep from showing her frustration at having them stop Niko in kissing her.

Mike and Ann walked back over and took away the empty dishes and glasses, offering to get refills, and left them just as quickly. Ann returned with new drinks, dinner forks, steak knives, and side plates, making sure each place setting was adequately set up for their dinner course. “Were you going to want dessert tonight? Or were you wanting to try the cognac tasting menu out on the balcony with cigars?”

“Maybe both, we will see how we feel after we finish our meal.” Mallorie took a sip of water and wondered what Roman and the guys would want to do.

“The groom does get a complimentary cigar this evening, just to keep that in mind for after the meal.” Ann nodded and headed back toward the kitchen to check on their food.

A cigar would be nice, what do you say Niko? For old times’ sake?” Roman chugged his water and wiped his mouth with the napkin. He was on the verge of being overly drunk and would be slowing down till after dinner. He definitely didn’t want to be fighting a hangover while getting married.

“They do have a fireplace outside that we can sit by, so we won’t freeze out there.” Mallorie chimed in. 

“Let’s see how we all feel after eating. Then we can decide on a smoke or a dessert.” Niko moved his arm up to rest on the back of Kate’s chair. He was looking forward to leaving and going back to his place. He needed to be alone with his girlfriend, and not just so he could jump into bed with her, but to make sure she was really okay. Jason had probably stirred her fear to life pretty good, and he needed to know what Karen had said to her.

“I know I’m going to want dessert.” Kate sent him a wicked smirk and picked up her new glass of whiskey, finishing it off.

Dinner plates were placed down in front of them and the side dishes were served to each guest. The remaining sides being placed down in the center of the table if guests wanted more. Bernie rushed in at the sight of the food and hungrily sat down at his chair. Mike and Ann went around picking up empty glasses, filling water glasses, and checking to make sure everything looked perfect. “Enjoy!”

Food was passed around, tastings savored, silly stories and speeches told as they toasted the meal and each other. Niko had never had so much food placed down in front of him before, having always had to fight for a meal or steal it. Roman, Bernie, and the girls didn’t seem to mind the vast spread in front of them. He assumed this was what it was like to eat in America. Copious amounts of food, plenty to drink, no rush to finish, and a full belly once done. Pork dishes, steak, seafood, chicken, pasta, a wide assortment of sides- it all tasted good to him, but what made the meal better was the small side smiles Kate kept sending his way. She had joined in on the story telling and was in the middle of telling Mallorie how she had to explain to her brother’s why she needed to go to the store when she was 13, and that it most definitely _wasn’t_ for a pregnancy test, but for a different female product. And it had Bernie and Roman in tears from laughing for hard.

“I had asked the cashier to double bag it and to make it hidden as best as possible. I could see Packie, Gerry, and Francis standing outside looking impatient. I tried to tuck in down my sweater as I walked out the door, but they were all convinced it was a pregnancy test. They were so mortified when they opened the bag only to see a training bra and tampons.” Kate took another bite from her steak and shook her head. “I was 13 and had to drag my brothers to the store to go underwear shopping. Was so embarrassing.”

“I bet Packie was red from the tips of his ears all the way to his neck!” Mallorie laughed and went back to eating her salmon.

“Oh he was! Gerry swore he would never go to the store with me again.”

“I bet it was tough growing up with so many older brothers. I only had a couple of younger sisters and one younger brother. I was the oldest.” Mallorie placed her fork down having finished her meal.

“It had its challenges. Kind of why I never dated anyone ever. But it worked out in the end.” Kate finished her meal and leaned back in her seat to allow Niko to start running his fingers over her skin again.

“It sure did! Look at us! I’m getting married tomorrow, you will probably end up getting married before the end of the year, and we are slowly all becoming family. It’s so exciting!” Mallorie kissed Roman’s cheek and leaned into his arm. “I don’t know about you, but I’m so full. I don’t think I could eat dessert. But I wouldn’t mind sitting outside by the fire and letting you boys have your man time.”

“Yeah a good glass of cognac sounds good to finish this meal off. Roman? Niko?” Bernie had polished off his plate and was sipping on his last glass of wine.

“Sure, then we will probably head out. It’s getting late, and we were both up late last night, so we need to rest up for the wedding tomorrow.” Niko wiped his mouth with the napkin and stood up, holding his hand out for Kate to take. The group stood from the table and walked outside onto the balcony. Mallorie immediately taking Kate’s hand and going over to the fireplace to snag the two seats right in front of it.

“If it’s alright with you two, I’m going to go talk with the girls. I’m not one to smoke much.” Bernie asked the other two, “And I can join you once you get a glass of cognac?”

“Go ahead, but layoff the bad stories, will you?” Roman laughed and waved over the waitress who was out on the balcony taking cigar orders.

Niko watched as Bernie went to go sit with the girls. He didn’t mind having his old comrade back in his life. He missed his friends dearly and wished they were all still alive to see where his life had gone. He would have enjoyed getting to introduce them to Kate.

“Cousin?” Roman and Niko stood in the same spot Niko had spoken to Bernard in, “This wedding, it’s important to me. I never thought I would get married. You’ve seen what a joke my life has been here, and to finally make it, it’s indescribable.”

“I feel like there is some kind of deeper story coming.” Niko cut the cigars for them and worked on getting them lit.

“Cousin! Let me finish. I love you cousin. You are all the family I have left. Are these people who have been after us since killing Vlad, going to come after my Mallorie?” He turned to take the cigar from his cousin and puffed at it a few times.

“I won’t lie to you. It’s crossed my mind. They kidnapped you, both of us at one point, tried to take Kate. Dimitri is dead. He won’t be coming for us anymore. Jimmy Pegorino is dead. But Ray Bulgarin is still out there. I’d feel better once he’s dead. Then everyone who is my enemy, and through me, yours, would be gone. We’d be free Roman.” Niko lit his cigar and turned to look out over the river.

“We are close. That was what the oath is for. Ray is going to be gunning hard, isn’t he? I don’t want a bloody wedding.” Roman mirrored his cousin and took in the view from the balcony. The wind was cold, but he had felt colder winters back home.

“I have everyone I know coming to the wedding to stand guard. No one will die tomorrow. I promise.” Niko glanced to his cousin and had to smile at the sloppy smile that was on his cousin’s face. “You are drunk cousin.”

“That! I am! And I am ready to get married. With you as the best man, Florian can be the flower girl.” They both laughed at his joke, “But seriously. We will be leaving tomorrow evening for Vice City for a week, then to Puerto Rico to meet her family the following week. Watch over the house for me? And with us gone, it will be two less people you will need to worry about.”

“I’ll watch over the place. And keep your eyes and ears open Roman while you two are out there in the world traveling. If Ray found me here, after avoiding him for 7 months on a ship, he will be able to find you.”

“You worry too much. Which I guess is good. Just don’t go get married while I’m gone. _That_ is a wedding I want to see.” Roman patted his cousin’s shoulder and walked back over to sit by his lovely fiancé. Niko watched as he nearly tripped over a chair before sitting down by Mallorie, giving her his suit coat in the process. He turned back toward the view and took a few puffs off the cigar. He hadn’t smoked in years and honestly didn’t really enjoy it. It always gave him a headache the following day.

“Ah Niko. This city does have it’s pretty parts.” Bernie walked up to him and leaned on the railing.

“It sure does.” Silence descended upon them, Niko smoking on the cigar occasionally.

“I miss them at times. I often wonder what life would have been like had we not been ambushed. If we would have survived the war or ended up like Eli.” Bernie dropped the flamboyant voice and let his features relax. Taking the oath, talking with Niko and Roman- it had caused him to get homesick.

“Eli was an unfortunate loss. He didn’t deserve to die in our war. His family had fled one war and genocide to end up in another. Thank you for sitting Shiva with me.” Niko twisted the cigar on the concrete railing to put it out. He was getting a buzz from it and needed to stop before it mixed with the intoxicating spell of the alcohol he had consumed.

“It was no problem. He deserved to have his passing honored. It was only a couple of months after that, that Darko betrayed us.” Florian scowled at the mention of Darko, “Honestly Niko! I would’ve put twelve rounds into him.”

“I wanted to Florian; I had my finger on the trigger. Was prepared to send him to hell. But the crazed look, his begging to die and be done with this world- I just couldn’t. He is suffering much more being alive, then he would be being dead. Call it stupid. But I figured I gave him a fate worse than death.” Niko sighed and closed his eyes. He could still picture the way Darko thrashed around on his knees rambling away like a bingeing druggie.

“ _You are more saint-like than me. I would have tortured him. He got us set up, all for what? Did he tell you?!_ ” Florian turned to face Niko.

_“A thousand dollars, so he could get more drugs. That was what we were sold for._ ” Niko frowned; he was starting to wish he had just killed the man.

_“A fucking thousand dollars? Everyone died for a thousand dollars? The actual fuck Niko! I would have cut a thousand slices into his flesh!”_ He was beyond livid now. He had managed to run from the gun fire and slaughtering that had taken place when they set up camp at the new location. But to know it was for such a paltry sum?

“ _I know. I’m sorry. He was so strung out and I just couldn’t let his suffering end. He’s probably dead in some alley way now. Or maybe some drug dealer got him hooked on something else and he’s doing whatever he can to get more. His demons will get him in the end._ ” He couldn’t bring himself to look to Florian. He felt like he was letting him down by not killing Darko. Here they were- the last two men of their squadron getting mad over killing or not killing the other last member. 

“ _If you truly believe he is suffering more by being alive, I will drop it. But if I happen across him, I will kill him. Mark my words Niko._ ” Florian took a deep breath and tried to release his anger. He had bottled so much of it up and when he moved to America, he discovered his true self and every day was a battle to move on from his past and live his life to the fullest. It wasn’t easy at times, and just when he was getting over everything, Niko and Roman kick down his apartment door.

“ _Go for it. I’m so tired of being the one to play death’s hand. I’ve sent so many to their end lately. I feel lost sometimes. I lost count shortly after killing Roman’s girlfriend’s ex. He was forcing her to sleep with him to settle Roman’s debts. I just snapped. And ever since, killing has become second nature. I don’t even hesitate anymore. I enjoyed killing Dimitri. I wish I would have been the one to end Jimmy. And I will enjoy getting to kill Ray. Kate doesn’t deserve me. I’m drowning in so much blood.”_ Niko scrubbed a hand over his face. There was no way he was going to be fine with a relationship that was built on partial lies and half-truths. _‘She will need to know everything eventually…’_

_“Oh Niko. You are not drowning. Do you do this for sport?”_ Florian watched as Niko shook his head no, _“Then you are doing what you must to survive. You have been given a set of skills that allow you to destroy your enemies, and with that skill, keep those you love safe.”_ He placed his hand on Niko’s shoulder offering some comfort.

“ _Kate was attacked because of me. Had I not been there in time, she would have been raped, probably killed once the men realized I had killed Dimitri. Her mother was killed because of me. Roman was kidnapped because of me. Derrick’s funeral was ambushed because of me. Well partially because of me, the funeral itself was because of me. Everyone I care about- everyone I love. They are targeted and I can’t stand to lose anyone else.”_ Niko shook off Florian’s hand and moved away from him. He knew deep down that he would never truly be away from all the ones who wanted him dead. Not until he killed them all. Ray would be a start, and then he’d take down the entire syndicate Ray worked for.

“ _You have saved them. We are all standing here on this rooftop because you did not fail.”_ Florian turned his body to face Niko, leaning into the railing, “ _You fight so hard, give so much, and yet you have never asked anything of anyone. There is a young lady over there with your cousin and his fiancé wanting to give you everything. All you need to do is ask, and she will give to you, what you have given for us. Don’t close yourself off from everyone because you feel like you aren’t good enough.”_ He walked over to Niko and turned him around, placing his hands on his shoulders, “ _She loves you Niko._ Loves _you. Do not walk away from that because of what you think are dirty hands.”_ Florian grabbed his friends hands in his own and gave a gently squeeze.

“ _I love her Florian. More than you know, more than I even know. I almost lost her and wouldn’t have even known. I can’t lose her. I wouldn’t survive it. I can’t fail her, you, Roman, Mallorie…”_ Niko looked down at their hands and shook his head.

“ _You won’t my friend. We survived a complete ambush with no weapons ready, no defense set up. If we can walk away from the gates of Hell, we can survive in this city. Please believe in yourself like I do. Like Roman does. Like Kate does.”_ Florian shook their clasped hands and let them go.

Niko pulled him into a hug. He had missed his friends fiercely since confronting Darko. And getting to hear how Florian believed in him still had helped. He had been draining himself dry keeping Roman safe, working every side of the table for different mobs, stealing anything and everything he needed, and then Kate had come along. He tried so hard to not develop feelings. He wasn’t finished getting his revenge for his comrades and would revisit his attraction once he was done. But she had been so persistent, and really, he couldn’t stop himself from calling her. She had set up rules, boundaries, and it helped him squash his feelings. But on so many nights where they spent it just talking at the diners, or even out in the park, he couldn’t kill the need to be around her.

“ _You are right. I won’t fail, because I can’t fail. Thank you for reminding me that I am not alone in this world.”_ Niko released him and took a step back.

“You aren’t. And never will be. Our past is tragic, it sucks, and it’s tried to take us down with it. But we will continue to fight it off.” Florian smiled and then went back to his new persona, “Now I will be having Mallorie over early tomorrow morning to do her hair and makeup, you are welcome to drop Kate off as well and I will get them to the church before the wedding. Allow you to sober up Roman.” Bernie turned back toward the group and saw the girls holding their sides laughing at Roman who had slid off the stone bench in front of the fireplace. He grimaced at how Roman kept fumbling to get into one of the chairs.

“Yeah. He went a little too hard tonight. I’ll think about it. Kate and I were. Uh well. We are-” Niko shrugged and blushed at trying to tell his friend about what he was planning to do when he left the restaurant with Kate.

“Going to have a late start to the day tomorrow?” Bernie sent him a cheeky grin, “Just don’t be late to the wedding. I’ll have to inspect you two to make sure you’re presentable for the ceremony.” Then a sobering thought crossed his mind, causing his face to fall.

“What is it?” Niko saw the change in him and shifted uncomfortably under his distraught looking friend.

“I may not be the marksman I once was, but, I do still have my handgun. I only keep the one magazine. It’s loaded. I can bring it with me. That’s what the oath was about? You think people will attack the wedding? That’s why your friend swore the oath and invited himself to the wedding?” Bernie’s eyes widened and a certain understanding dawned on him. 

“I was not expecting him to make the offer of the oath, nor was I expecting him to come to the wedding. There are people in this city who really want me dead and will stop at nothing to do it. If you feel the need to come armed, then please. Otherwise the doors will be covered. My friend said he would make sure the church is secure, and that we could celebrate the wedding as it should be.” Niko turned back toward the railing and leaned into it. He felt like everything was running in circles now. It all coming back to Ray Bulgarin, and the man wanting him dead.

“I will uphold my end of the oath. I will protect your family, the family that is slowly becoming mine, and will honor my words. I will keep them safe should you need to leave.” Bernie nodded and gave a half smile. He understood now why the oath was offered and then accepted so easily by Niko.

“Thank you, Bernie. She will need protecting when I go after Ray.”

“Then I shall be her shield while you are away. I’m going to go join the others in that glass of cognac now, care to join?” He turned slightly and motioned toward their waiting friends and family.

“In a little bit. I need a moment to think.” Niko smiled and turned to look back out over the river. He needed to sort his thoughts out and stuff some of his demons back into their proverbial boxes. He watched Bernie move back over to the group out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t opened up like that in years. Not even to Kate. He had let loose some thoughts he wasn’t ready to, and it freaked him out at how easily Florian had been able to get him to admit he loved Kate. He was extremely worried she would get hurt, more than she already had been, and couldn’t bear the thought that it was because he dared to have one thing in life that was good.

“Wanna talk about it?” Kate approached him and had to fight the chill that descended on her. The fire had kept her warm.

“Come here.” He heard her approach long before she spoke to him and noticed the slight shudder of her body against the cold breeze. Niko pulled her toward him and held her close. “You want my jacket?” He looked down to her eyes.

“But your pistol?”

“I literally pulled it out at the table and had it out for everyone to see. They probably think I’m some undercover cop now or something. Bernard covered for me before. He will again, but,” Niko removed his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders and tucked his pistol down the front of this pants, “If this makes you feel a little better?”

“Kind of don’t want you blowing your junk off on accident.” She deadpanned when he put the pistol into the front of his waistband.

“Safety is on.”

“Whatever. Just be careful with it.” Kate slid her arms into the jacket and turned to look out over the river, moving so she could lean into the railing, “It is a beautiful view out here.”

“It sure is.” Niko leaned into her and placed his arms on either side of her, grabbing the metal handrail.

“Crazy night.” She sighed and moved her head to the side to allow him to rest his chin down on her shoulder.

“It’s been a crazy couple of days. Definitely won’t forget them and won’t forget you confirming our relationship either.” Niko wrapped one of his arms around her middle, sliding his hand between the opening of his jacket, and kept the other one braced on the railing.

“We are good for each other, right? Even with our lives clashing at times and how it seems everyone wants me either dead or in their bed? It just feels like every single person in this city has some kind of vendetta out on you, my family, even me. Jason was a shock. He was the first guy to ever really try to do something to me. And to see him here, tonight, I’m surprised you didn’t just kill him. I guess if I say that then I have to be surprised Gerry didn’t.” She pressed her body back into to him trying to stay warm.

Niko nuzzled her neck and held her tightly, “I wanted to break his hands for having touched you. But Francis seemed to want to do it more than I did. I’m also not a cop, he is, and so is Karen. They would be able to punish him the way it needs to be. My way would have hurt you in the long run. And I was more focused on getting you away from him. I don’t trust Francis with much, but I do trust him to protect his sister.” He kissed her neck and felt her tilt her head more to allow him to kiss the spot she liked.

“That makes sense. Gerry will not be happy to see him again.” She closed her eyes when his lips pressed to a sensitive spot on her throat.

“Gerry is probably finishing the job. I’m sorry for whatever Karen told you. Do I need to do some damage control?” He smoothed her dress over her stomach and traced over her ribcage.

“She said you are incapable of loving.” She felt Niko tense up and he moved away from her skin and stilled his hand on her ribs.

“I was incapable of loving her.” He whispered the words into her ear, he was not ready to say the three little words. Not yet. Not till he knew she was safe, and they could live the life he wanted to have with her.

“Just her?” Kate turned slightly in his grasp to be able to see him out of the corner of her eyes.

“She wasn’t the one. You are.” He saw the tears form in her eyes, the look of astonishment crossing her features. “You will always be the one.”

She turned fully around and kissed him. Her arms wrapping around his neck. She closed her eyes and poured everything into the kiss. He had all but uttered the words, and she would take that and run with it. What small voice that kept whispering _no_ to her about having sex quieted with his words. Every ounce of doubt, conviction, washed away from her. She was fully ready now. She wanted to only be his, and to give him her everything. She loved Niko Bellic with her whole being and would be showing him that as soon as they left the place.

Niko pulled his arms around her, one settling down on her waist, the other across her back, and he grabbed the fabric of his suit coat. He had never really been searching for someone in this capacity. He had targets to track, missions to complete, hurdles to overcome, but he was never interested in love. That was his mission in life. Kill the one who betrayed him, then start looking. And she jumped into his path of vengeance and stayed the hand of death that was ready to strike Darko. He hadn’t been looking, and maybe that’s why she showed up when she did.

He deepened the kiss and felt her brush against the pistol in his waistband. He hadn’t realized he had partially pulled her from the ground and set her down gently, slowing his kissing. He rested his forehead against hers and tried to steady the rapidly beating heart that thundered away in his chest.

“Niko. Take me home?” She whispered the words across his lips, placing one more kiss to him.

“Let’s say our goodbyes, then yes, we can go.”

“They truly are meant for one another.” Bernie gasped when he saw Kate turn and kiss him.

“She loves him dearly. And I pray she doesn’t freak out when she finds out the body count. From what I gathered from Liz and Jacob, it’s high.” Mallorie snuggled into Roman’s side and watched as the two lovebirds kissed one another.

“It won’t matter in the end. My cousin is a determined person. If she is his, then that will be how it will remain. He won’t give her up.” Roman leaned his head on top of Mallorie’s, “Just as I have been determined to get you to stay with me.”

“Will that determination remain forever?” Mallorie pulled away to be able to look at her fiancé, wondering if he found out she was pregnant if he would stay.

“I plan to make my vows to you in less than twelve hours my love. There is no wavering in my determination.” He smiled gently at her and kissed her cheek.

“I think we are going to head out for the evening.” Niko spoke once they approached their friends and family. Kate was wrapped around him and was smilingly uncontrollably next to him.

“We are going to do the same. Get some beauty sleep before tomorrow. Bernie?” Roman stood up and helped Mallorie to her feet.

“Bryce is signaling to me. I will see you all in the morning. Mal I will see you early to get you ready?” Bernie stood and gave the woman and hug and tucked some hair behind her ears.

“Yes, I’ll be there bright and early with breakfast. Good night Bernie.” She hugged her new friend and moved over to Niko and Kate, “Will you need help in the morning?”

“No, I will be good with the makeup you left me. The wedding is at 1000?” Kate moved away from Niko to be able to hug her.

“Yes, and I only have one final question for you- Will you be my maid of honor?” Mallorie bit her lip uncertain in her question. They had just met, and she had felt like she had known her, her whole life.

“Of course!” Kate hugged her and bounced a little in excitement. “This is going to be such an amazing wedding!”

“Aw! The best man and the maid of honor are going to be a couple at our wedding Roman!” Mallorie laughed and flung herself at him giving him a huge hug.

“Yes yes my dear. Now let’s get you home and rested before the big day.” Roman nodded to Bernie and Niko before pulling along his excited female to the exit.

“It was nice to meet you Katie, don’t be a stranger, and call me some time?” Bernie smiled at the kind woman who had won his comrade’s heart over.

“Yes I will. As soon as I replace my broken phone, we will plan a brunch date.” She hugged him and watched as he walked over to the Deputy Mayor and the two of them walked down the hall toward the private dining rooms.

“You ready to head out? Or did you want dessert first?” Niko kissed the top of her head and pulled her back into him.

“Maybe one last drink? Just a shot, to be able to make a toast?” She rung her fingers together trying to get him to agree and worried at her bottom lip with her teeth.

“Sure. Here or at my place?” He offered her his arm and guided her toward the dining room entrance from the patio.

“Here if you don’t mind.” She walked over to their now cleared table and sat down where Bernie had been sitting.

Niko pulled the chair she had used for dinner over next to her and sat down. He waved at Mike when he saw him walking away from another table.

“Yes sir? Your table has already been taken care of; would you like to start another tab?” Mike walked over to the couple and hoped they would be staying longer. The fat tip he had received from their dinner would be helping pay his rent this month.

“Just two drinks, then we will let you be for the evening. Two shots of the finest Irish whiskey you have please.” Kate asked.

“Yes ma’am coming right up.” Mike rushed off to the bar to place the drink orders and print the check, and then ring up the food from his next table.

“Whiskey huh?” Niko stroked her arm and couldn’t wait to be leaving the place and to get back to the apartment.

“Yeah just need a little something to warm me up. It was pretty cold outside. Plus, a nightcap never hurt no one.” Katie ran her fingers over his knee and up his thigh and dipped down between his legs, lightly brushing over him, before returning to his knee. “Will you be okay to drive, _Niko_?” She somewhat moaned his name quietly as to not disturb the other tables close by.

“I’ll be perfectly fine to drive. Pretty sure I can get us home in about five minutes. Give you a thrill ride again since you loved it so much last time.” Niko had jerked at her movements and felt the fire surge through his veins with the way she said his name.

“I did enjoy it this morning. And five minutes? That’s pretty quick. You didn’t want to make it last a little longer.” She pouted slightly and smirked when he got the double meaning of her joke.

“It’ll last long into the night and morning, don’t you worry.” Niko slid his hand under his jacket she still wore and ran his hand up the length of her back to find the top of the hidden zipper of her dress and teasingly pulled at it.

“Your drinks. Anything else I can get you?” Mike placed the glasses down and stood back from the table.

“No thank you. And thank you for a wonderful evening.” Kate smiled at him and lifted her glass. Mike walked away and went to go tend to his new table that just sat down.

“So what are we toasting to?” Niko picked up his glass and glanced at the check he saw Mike lay down.

“Me losing my virginity to you, duh.” Kate giggled at the open mouthed expression on her boyfriend’s face, “But no, seriously. To giving you my everything.” She held her glass up and waited for him to cheers her.

“To giving you my all.” They bumped their glasses together and downed the shot. Niko pulled his wallet out of his pants pockets and laid a couple bills down to cover the drinks and tip. “You ready to go?” He smirked at her smiling face.

“So eager to leave huh?” Kate placed her empty glass down on the table and pushed her seat back to be able to stand up. She took off his suit jacket and held it out to him.

“Yes I am. I just want to be alone with you.” Niko stood up and took his jacket from her pulling it on. He moved his pistol back to its usual spot in the back of his pants. “Ready?” He held his hand out for her to take.

“Yes.” She answered both his verbal question and the question she saw in his eyes. She was nervous and excited to be leaving. She wondered what he would be like, if he would be gentle, soft, and slow- or if they’d burn into an inferno and fall over the edge quickly. She blushed at her thoughts as he led her toward the bar lounge and through the crowd of people on the makeshift dance floor.

“Have a good evening and thank you for dining here at Jerkov’s!” Lisa called after them as they walked toward the elevator. She handed Kate her jacket as they passed and waved as the elevator doors closed them off from her view.

Kate pulled her jacket on quickly before pushing Niko back into the wall of the elevator. She captured his lips in a scorching kiss. Her hands grabbed his tie and pulled him down toward her to deepen the kiss. She let the moan that had been held back out when he had kissed her on the rooftop. “ _Oh Niko._ ”

Niko grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against him and devoured her mouth. He turned them and pressed her back to the perpendicular wall, his hands lowering to her hips and bunching her dress up so he could run the tips of his fingers over the tops of her thighs. “ _I want you so bad._ ” The words fell from his lips, briefly forgetting to speak English.

“ _моја љубав (moja ljubav)“_ Kate said the words again that had him so worked up earlier, “You better be able to get us home in five minutes like you said. We have too much clothes on for my liking.“ She tilted her head to the side when he began to kiss his way down her cheek giving him the ability to suck on the skin below her ear.

“Мој један једини (Moj jedan jedini)“ He whispered the words against her flesh, “I will get us home as quickly as possible. Traffic lights be damned.” He smoothed her dress down and closed her jacket as they reached the bottom floor. The doors making their dinging noise before opening to the empty lobby, the receptionist desk missing the bored lady.

“You better. Otherwise we will have to just pull over in the car.” She laughed at the shocked expression he sent her, “No! That’s not how I want my first time to be, now come on!” She took his hand and dashed out of the elevator, pulling her bewildered boyfriend behind her.

“I have corrupted you. So many new ideas I have now for you.” Niko chuckled and hurried his pace to be able to walk alongside her. They opened the glass doors and nodded to the security guards posted outside. The walk down the ramp was quick, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was walking quickly or if it was Kate dragging him down the path.

The valet asked for the ticket and Niko handed it to him, “You can stand near the space heater to stay warm while I go get the vehicle.” He suggested to them before dashing off down the street to the parking garage.

“It is so damn cold outside!” Kate huddled into Niko’s arms and shivered at the harsh wind that whipped down the street.

“It’ll be warm in the car, and even warmer in the apartment.” Niko rubbed his hands on her back trying to help warm her up.

“Oh it’ll be warm in the car alright.” Kate mumbled into his neck before kissing her way up his throat, lightly nibbling on his skin when she moved back down toward his collar.

“Kate, you are going to make me lose control.” He kept his hands firmly placed on her hips, not wanting to put on a show for the other patrons coming and going from the restaurant.

“Good. I want to know I can make you want me, as much as you do for me. You set my skin on fire, and my blood heats up, and I feel like I’m going to burst. I want to be able to give you the same feelings. If that makes any sense.” She slowed her kissing and leaned back to be able to look into his face, and worried at her bottom lip with her teeth.

“Trust me, you heat my blood up. I almost couldn’t stop myself the first time you kissed me back.” Niko saw his orange Infernus driving toward the entrance and tapped her hips with his fingers, “Ready?” He looked back down to her and paused, “What?”

Kate was awe-struck with his words. She had thought she wasn’t kissing him right and was so nervous and scared when he had first kissed her in his bed. She had been inexperienced and took everything he did and tried to replicate it. Every girl feared they weren’t doing it right on their first kiss, and she was no exception. And here he was telling her he had almost lost control over a simple brushing of lips? “You mean that?” She whispered.

“You think I would just make out with you and go as far as I did, if I didn’t like it?” He cocked his head to the side not understanding why she seemed so astonished.

“I. Well. You had said that whenever I needed you, you would oblige me. And I don’t want this to be one sided. This is for both of us, not just me.” She caressed his cheek with her fingers.

“You are in control. I will stop if you need me to or go all the way.” Niko leaned into her touch.

“No. Stop making this about only my needs. You have needs too, right? So let me return the favor, please?” Kate scrunched her eyebrows together, not wanting him to give in or do this simply because she wanted it.

“I want you Kate. I have told you before. You are what I want. I would’ve gone all the way this morning had you wanted me to. I just didn’t want to take my needs out on you. You are too important to me to just take from you. You told me you wanted to wait. And I would wait forever if I had to. That is what I meant by control.” Niko cupped her face and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

“Then let’s get home so both of our needs can be satisfied.” She whispered across his lips before kissing him again.

“Come. I have a five minute drive home to give you.” Niko smirked against her lips and pulled her to him for a hug. The valet opened the doors for them, and he led her over to her side of the car and helped her get in. He handed the valet a few bills and rushed over to his side of the car, lowering himself into it. He noticed that the street was blocked off and he would have to go the back way home, a slightly less direct path, but he could still get there quickly.

Kate removed her coat as the car’s heater was blasting. She tossed it to the semi-backset there was in the car and turned to see Niko studying the street, “Everything okay?” She got comfortable in her seat and pulled the seatbelt on.

“Yeah, they just have the road blocked going back toward the apartment, I’ll have to take a back way home. It might be more like six minutes.” He smirked to her and saw the realization dawn on her. He pulled the pistol out of his waistband and held it out for her. She took it from him with ease and laid it down on her lap, barrel facing toward the door. He revved the engine and nodded as the valets moved out of the way.

“Should I say go?” Kate teased as he revved the car and caused the tires to spin creating smoke. As if she had said the magic word, he peeled out of the valet lane and drifted around the corner down Manganese Street. She was shoved back in her seat and felt the thrill trickle down her spine once again. His words, kissing, touching, looks were swirling around in her mind and she felt the wetness form again between her legs. He had that sharp focused look again and all she wanted to do was go crawl into his lap. _‘Distract him…’_ It was a wicked thought, and she wondered if she could pull it off.

Niko charged down Manganese Street before drifting on to Columbus Avenue. He’d go up to Quartz, then over to Albany and he’d be home. He watched the traffic and made sure to be as careful as he could as he recklessly drove toward the apartment. He glanced at the street signs counting the ones before he knew he’d have to make the turn. He slowed as he saw the light turn red. He would need to watch for cross traffic so he would be able to successfully weave through oncoming vehicles.

“ _Niko_ ” She purred his name and caused him to slip on the clutch and miss shifting gears. He corrected and got the vehicle back to fourth gear, swerving slightly to avoid the car turning left onto Obsidian. He looked over to see what caused her to say his name that way and froze. He wasn't prepared for was the heated and hungry look she was shooting his way. She had tugged her lower lip into her mouth, and she had started to run the barrel of the pistol up her leg, the other hand pulling at the collar of her dress. Her eyes had deepened to a darker greenish-blue.

He turned his attention back to the road as they powered through another intersection. He heard her seat belt release, the pistol clattering to the floorboard, and turned to see what she was doing. He slowed the car down as to not put her in danger since her seat belt was off. The car roared and hummed at having been dropped several gears quickly.

Kate leaned over the gear shift and kissed his cheek, “Time is ticking Niko,” she whispered into his ear before nibbling on the ear lobe.

Niko slammed the gear shift to neutral and pulled her into his lap sideways. He pressed the clutch and switched it back to first, before shifting up to second and third, speeding the car up. He helped her adjust slightly, keeping an eye on the road. She leaned into his body, wrapping her one arm around his neck, the other bent so she could rest her hand on his chest. She tilted her legs up and over the gear shift console and kicked her heels off. She had to press her body into him firmly in order to give him space to move the wheel.

“It’s been two minutes.” She moaned the words against his cheek before kissing it and trailing her kisses down his neck. Her movements tight as to not hinder him driving anymore than she already was.

“I’ll get us there. Don’t worry.” He forced her legs apart with his hand and slid his arm between them and took hold of the gear shift again. He switched gears as he slowed to be able to navigate another intersection of oncoming cars. Leaving it in gear he moved his arm back up to be able to find the edge of her underwear. When his fingers only found the softness of her skin he moaned.

“Mallorie was nice enough to get me one of those thongs you and Roman were ogling at Clara Krow.” Kate leaned away from kissing his neck to kiss his lips briefly. “Eyes on the road mister.” She tilted his face back toward the windshield when he went to look down at her legs.

“I can still do this.” Niko ran his fingers over the thin lace covering her opening and felt her quake in his lap. He pressed against her before going to switch gears again. It was incredibly hot how she was sitting in his lap, while he was driving recklessly down the streets of Algonguin, and he could simply touch her if he wanted.

“And I can do this.” Kate sucked on his earlobe and drifted her hand down his chest to his belt and deftly undid it with ease. She worked on undoing the button and pulled the zipper down slowly. “Think you can manage to get us home now, _Niko_?” She kissed along his jaw before dipping her hand into his pants to run over the length of him in his boxers.

The car whined when he jumped and missed shifting correctly. He put it back in gear and thanked whatever God was watching that he was almost to Quartz, and thus a minute away from his apartment. She was firmly rubbing him up and down and he was having a hard time focusing on the road. “Kate we are almost there. And then I’m going to tear your clothes off.” He moved his hand back up to her opening and hooked his fingers under the lace and gently ran his thumb over the soft lips.

“Oh my God Niko.” She found the opening of his boxers and traced the tip with her fingers. “Please hurry, I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Hold on.” Niko had to slow down and turn the car normally. Drifting would be out of the question with her on his lap and he was having a difficult time not bucking up into her hand. “Almost there.” He nudged her face with his and kissed her quickly. “I can tell you are ready. Just let me get us home and then we can pick this back up.”

They reached the corner of Quartz and Albany. Niko looked left then right and did a double take. Police cars were lined up on either side of the street, firetrucks were parked in his usual spot. The red and blue lights illuminating the street. “Kate, get in your seat. I don’t like what I’m seeing.” He helped her over the center console and redid his pants.

Kate numbly moved off of him and put her shoes back on, then grabbed the gun from the floorboard. She held it out to him, and he tucked it back into his pants. “Niko what’s with all the cops?” She didn’t like the sight of it, and it made her feel uneasy. She redid her seatbelt as Niko turned toward the apartment.

“I’m not sure. But I don’t like it.” He slowly moved down the street and parked in an empty spot close to the alley by his building. Police were running back and forth between their cars. “Let’s go find out what happened, and if we need to go someplace else for the evening.”

“I think I see Francis’ car!” Kate exclaimed and opened her door quickly exiting the vehicle.

Niko turned the car off and hurried after her. She was walking quickly toward the front of his apartment building and where he could make out Francis car. He caught up to her quickly, “Kate. We need to be careful. We don’t know what happened. Stay by my side and do not leave it, you understand me?” He turned her toward him and held her shoulders, “This could be a trap, and I am not going to lose you tonight. Okay?”

“Niko you’re scaring me.” She grabbed the front of his suit jacket to steady her trembling hands. Why was her brother’s car here at Niko’s place? What was with all the police, firetrucks, and people standing out on the street. Was there a fire?

“I’m sorry. But this is too much of a coincidence. Stay close.” He released her and grabbed her hand as they made their way to the front of the building. Francis was talking to the doorman Tom, who looked about ready to burst into tears. Karen was standing close by, leaning against a police cruiser, her arms crossed and a solemn look on her features. Tom noticed them first and the color drained from his face.

“Niko! Niko! Your friend!” Tom cried when they got close enough to them. Francis looked up from his notepad and immediately went to his sister.

“Kate you don’t need to be here. Niko take her someplace else. _Please_.” Francis pleaded to Niko and placed his hands on Kate’s shoulders to keep her from moving closer to the apartment doors.

“Francis what’s going on?” Kate looked up to her brother not liking the pleading tone he took with Niko. She glanced around them to see a couple of EMS workers grab some kind of equipment out the back compartment of the firetruck before rushing back into the building. Then her eyes landed back on Tom and Rebecca standing close by.

“Niko! Your friend, he just collapsed in the lobby! I called 9-1-1 and did what I could!” Tom started crying hysterically and turned toward the street to try and compose himself. Rebecca giving him a hug, trying to calm her own tears.

“Friend?” A cold realization dawned on her, and she felt her legs want to give. ‘ _No… No… NO!_ ’ “PACKIE!” Kate hollered and pushed her brother off of her and rushed to the front doors of the apartment. Niko and Francis grabbing for her as she dashed away. The two chasing after her.

Karen moved away from the car and grabbed her around her waist and hauled her up and turned her away from seeing inside the lobby.

“Let go of me you bitch! Packie!” Kate yelled and fought to get out of her grasp. Karen only fought harder and managed to grab both of her wrists forcing Kate to cry out in pain and collapse to the sidewalk when Karen lightly pushed her away. Niko shoved Karen back and pointed a finger at her in warning, his other hand going for his gun. The closest police officers reaching for their own weapons at seeing someone attack a fellow officer of the law. He wasn’t about to hit her in front of all the cops, his neighbors he recognized from the building, Rebecca, or Tom.

Francis knelt down on the sidewalk and helped Kate sit up. She managed to scrape her knee when she fell, and it was sluggishly bleeding, her palms red from having hit the pavement. “Katie! You okay?” Francis reached for her hands and pulled the sleeves back on her dress, seeing the angry red and purple welts on her wrists for the first time. He read the report so many times of what was found and figured they were created by the handcuffs found in her bedroom; her DNA etched into the slots of the cuffs.

“Francis. Please! Tell me he’s not dead!” She yanked her arms away from him and took her first look into the lobby. There on the marble floor of the lobby to Niko’s apartment was Packie, a host of medical workers working on him. He was pale, too pale, and his body jerked every time the paddles were pressed to his chest.

“NO!” She cried brokenly and scrambled off the cold sidewalk and burst through the glass doors to the complex. Niko and Francis following behind. She reached the medical team and started sobbing. They had his shirt cut open and were giving him CPR in between shocks of the paddles. She grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. “Packie! Packie! Don’t do this to me! I was just getting you back!”

“Ma’am you need to stand back, we are trying to save him. Stay clear!” An EMS worker pushed her back, another one yelling “Clear!” before the paddles were placed on him again. “No heartbeat. Go again!”

Niko knelt down behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She immediately turned and crumbled into him crying out with painful sobs. He pulled her into his lap and held her tightly. He fought his own tears watching as the EMS people worked to save his friend’s life. He cradled her and nuzzled the top of her head.

“Where the fuck is the ambulance? They have an OR set up?” A worker yelled into a walkie-talkie.

“ _One minute out. OR ready to go.”_ The voice cracked back over the radio line.

“Katie, Niko. They are going to take him to the Hospital in Holland. I can ride with him if you two want to meet us there?” Francis knelt down next to his sister and brushed her hair back from her face, “Don’t cry Kate, they will save him. I know they will!”

An ambulance pulled up to the front of the building, its siren blaring and lights flashing. A crew slammed open the back doors pulling a gurney behind them.

“Heartbeat! I have a heartbeat!” the lady cried who was doing mouth to mouth. “Get that IV in NOW!” The ambulance crew rushed in and placed oxygen over his nose and went to work on getting fluids into his arm.

Kate scrambled out of Niko’s hold and crawled over to her brother, taking his hand again. The worker moved over slightly to allow her access to see him. He had heard her sobbing and put two and two together. He nodded to her and let her get closer.

“Packie? Packie, if you can hear me, just hold on please. _Please_. I can’t lose anyone else. Ma isn’t ready to see you yet. Stay with me!” She leaned down onto his chest letting out a broken sob. She squeezed his hand. “Please!”

Packie started convulsing and a white foam worked its way out of his mouth. “We’re losing him! Move, now!” The crew worked to get him on the gurney and into the back of the ambulance. Katie stayed in her crumpled spot where she had been holding onto Packie, watching as they loaded him into the ambulance. Tears raining down her cheeks. “No… Not him, please.”


	5. The Holland Play

Niko hated hospitals. He hadn’t much experience with them as there had only been one in the closest big city to his home village. They had a doctor that lived a village over that would make house calls if things were bad enough, but Niko worked hard to never have to see the doctor. His dad beat him senseless, but never broke a bone or did enough damage that he couldn’t heal on his own. The wars forced them to learn basic first aid- stop major bleeding, make a stint, wound care, how to set bones, CPR, the works. But it also allowed them to know when things were not looking good. And Packie did not look good.

Kate sat huddled up in his suit jacket on a chair in the small ICU room, her shoes discarded underneath it. Her knees were brought up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, her face buried in her knees. Francis had forced her to get checked out. He saw the welts on her wrists and grew concerned there was worse damage to her elsewhere. Niko had witnessed the biggest fight between them, and it ended with a female nurse checking out her wrists, bite mark, and knee. She had relented and had blood drawn to be sure she didn’t pick something up from the man who bit her. Niko had stayed quiet and complied with whatever she asked. Which was simply to stay in the room with her when the nurse cleaned the wound and put a new bandage on. The blood test had been quick and painless. They were told the results could take 24 hours max, but the nurse would put a rush on it. 

Niko texted Roman to let him know the update but had no response yet. He figured he had passed out drunk the minute they got home. He also sent a quick message to Little Jacob and Bernie to be on the lookout. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time since getting in the hospital room. The clock ticked loudly from the wall and told him they had only been there for an hour or two. Kate hadn’t even moved from her spot. Not caring to look at Francis or him, and it bothered him greatly. Packie was his friend too, and he was just as upset as her.

He leaned against the wall watching the heart monitor. It was steady, strong, but Packie had still not opened his eyes. They had been told he was poisoned. The surgeon had droned on about his status and left as quickly as he had arrived: “ _He made it through surgery. He had massive bleeding in his digestive organs. We managed to stop the bleeding and get his blood to form clots again. His liver, kidneys, heart, esophagus, and stomach have extensive damage due to prolonged alcohol and drug abuse. If he wants to see 35, he will need to slow down, if not stop completely. The poison did a number on his nervous system but should make a full recovery. May take a week or two to get all motor functions back. He is in an ICU room, number 229, for the remainder of the night. You can come see him for a bit, but we would like to keep the visits short as to not stress him._ ”

“I don’t understand. He looked sick when we headed out. But he didn’t look _poisoned_!” Kate looked up from her knees, her bloodshot eyes squinting under the harsh hospital lighting.

“The blood samples they took from Packie- they know he was poisoned. He ingested a large amount of bromethalin, zinc phosphide, and colecalciferol. Most of which are found in rat poison. What did he eat or drink recently?” Francis sat down next to his sister and looked to Niko for answers. He was just as worried and was doing his best to find answers and stay ahead of the game.

“He had water that I gave him at Niko’s place. I gave it to him because he was looking sick.” Kate turned back down to her knees. She felt numb, like she had been outside all night in the snow. She was so tired and worn down. Nothing mattered except getting Packie awake.

“He drank an entire bottle of champagne. The one you sent as an apology.” Niko said looking between the two McReary siblings. He didn’t think Francis would stoop to that level, especially if he knew Kate might drink it too. Sure, he had asked Niko to off his brother Derrick. But his sister? That was a stretch…

“Apology? I didn’t send any apology!” Francis stood up panicked. “What was it?”

“You had flowers, champagne, and a note sent to Niko’s place Frankie.” Kate turned to look at her brother, resting her cheek on the top of her bandaged knee. The move caused her to wince at the pain. She rubbed at her bandaged knee wishing it would stop burning every time it was touched. Her whole body throbbed after the through cleaning the nurse had done to her bite mark.

“The fuck you say! Why the hell would I do something like that?” He started pacing back and forth in the small space at the end of the hospital bed Packie laid in, “We need to get that bottle, flowers, and card into evidence. Have forensics look at them.” He mused before turning back to look at Niko by the door. “I’m guessing Packie was the only one to drink the wine?”

“Yes, I had a glass poured for each of us, but he beat us to it. Downed the whole bottle in about thirty minutes.” Niko stated, not really liking the fact that someone had tried to kill them in his own apartment. “Is there a way to figure out who delivered them? The doorman might know who. He accepted them from the delivery person!” Niko pulled out his phone and dialed the front desk of his apartment.

“I’ll get the detective to ask. They are still there processing the scene and letting folks back into their apartments. The poor guy looked pretty shook up over the whole thing.” Francis started to type out a text rapidly on his phone to his detective.

Niko hung up the phone, no one was answering. He glanced down to see that Kate had returned to her earlier position of burying herself into her knees. He wanted to do something to help her, but she had been so physically distant from him since getting to the hospital. She had shrunk away from his attempts to comfort her and only wanted to be left alone. She was shutting down on him, and he hated every second of it.

“Did you really think I sent a gift?” Francis scoffed and shook his head finishing the text message.

“It was your handwriting Frankie!” Kate loudly spoke, shoving off the chair and marching up to him, “I saw your handwriting! After years of getting letters from you, you think I wouldn’t recognize my own brother’s handwriting!” She shoved him lightly and grimaced at the action. Her wrists burned every time she bent her hands. Karen had grabbed them roughly and twisted them when they fought each other.

“You know I don’t send apologies or thank you cards to no one! And I sure as hell ain’t saying sorry to this jackass!” Francis voiced back pointing at Niko, “You think I’d say sorry? Sorry for what? That you ended up with a lowlife scum?”

Kate slapped him again. Not caring that her wrist was screaming at her in pain. The tears started up again. “No! I thought you’d be saying sorry for being a lowlife brother, who doesn’t give a shit about his sister or Ma or Packie or Gerry or Derrick anymore. Won’t come to family dinner’s, church service, or Derrick’s burial site. Sorry that you didn’t stop Pa from doing those sick things to Gerry and Packie! Sorry for leaving me at home knowing that Pa was like that with our brothers when Ma was sick!” She grabbed hold of Francis’ suit jacket and shook it lightly trying to get him to see reason.

“Did he touch you?” Francis sobered immediately and his voice dropped an octave, the sickening feeling washing over him. He had seen what was done to Gerry, and he moved out of the house as soon as he could. He would not fall victim to that form of abuse and was one of the reasons he wanted to be a cop- so he could stop that from happening.

“No!” She bitterly let out a laugh, “He thought I was Ma one night. He was so drunk, so far gone. He told me what he did, said it felt better than me, which I guess meant Ma. That he couldn’t bring himself to look at me, Ma, again. He had a gun in his hand. I hadn’t noticed when I walked in the living room. He pointed it at me; told me I’d be better off dead. I told him he needed help, and you know what he did? He placed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger,” She moved her hand to her own temple and formed a finger gun acting like she was pulling the trigger, “I watched him blow his brains out. Alone! Packie wasn’t home, Ma was sick in bed, and here I was. 20 something Katie trying to take care of everyone. Where were you! Huh? Where were you when I needed my brother?!” Kate let out a body wrenching sob and sank to the ground, covering her face with her hands.

Francis sat down with her and pulled her into a hug. He hadn’t known the details of how Pa had ended it all. He always assumed Gerry had finally done it and staged it to look like a suicide. Now he knew. His poor sister had witnessed the whole thing. He remembered getting a call from a panicked Packie that fateful night, and when he got home, Kate was huddled in Packie’s arms in shock. She hadn’t let a single tear fall that night.

“Katie, God Katie. I’m so sorry. I’m so _so_ sorry.” He rocked her back and forth on the ground holding her to him tightly. He was a failure at life. Having to cheat, lie, and force his way to the top of the ladder. He left his sister alone in a home full of violent, evil people. He let her deal with growing up on her own. Never once really caring who she dated, if she dated, and he buried the case against Gerry over Jason once he found out the truth of what happened from Packie. People may accuse him of not loving his family, but he did. He did what he could to keep them out of jail, but sometimes they fucked up too much to be saved.

“Packie doesn’t deserve to die.” Kate mumbled beneath her hands.

Niko watched the two fall apart. It was too hard to watch, and he felt awkward at having seen such a personal conversation between the two siblings. He turned and pulled the door open wanting to give them some privacy. He paused just outside the door when he noticed Karen leaning against the wall by the entrance to Packie’s room. She had her arms crossed, one of her legs bent with her foot pressed into the wall. Her eyes were fixed on the tiled floor. He didn’t really want to talk to her, but something about her being at the hospital didn’t sit right with him. Letting go of the door, he let it close and turned to face her.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her.” She said emotionlessly when Niko turned his attention to her. She kept her eyes on the floor, not ready to face him yet.

“I would hope not. Because then I’d have to kill you.” Niko took a hard look at Karen before crossing the hall to put space between them. He didn’t trust her, and he didn’t like being close to her. He mirrored her stance and set his glare toward her.

“Whatever. Like you could kill me. IAA would have you on the next plane to Belgrade to stand trial for war crimes. Or maybe Tirana? Since you mostly killed Albanians in the war.” She shrugged her shoulders trying to act cool under his menacing stare. “How is Packie?”

“What do you care?” He felt his hands tighten over his arms where they were crossed.

“You’re right. I don’t care.” She snarked out in a sarcastic tone.

“I’d also appreciate it if you left Kate alone. She did nothing wrong to you, so leave what happened between you and me out of any conversation you have with her. Or better yet- don’t talk to her.” He let his glare harden. He felt the rage bloom to life in him at the thought of her cornering Kate in the restroom at Jerkov’s and filling her head with lies and tall stories. He figured they would need to hash things out eventually, he just wished he could put this off till he knew Packie was okay, and awake.

“Princess can’t handle a little confrontation?”

“Don’t call her that either.”

“Well she is! Look at all that the government and law enforcement agencies are doing to keep _her_ safe. She’s like some damsel in distress. And I don’t care for the drama.” She motioned down the hall where two armed guards stood outside the entrance to the ICU hall, guarding the only main entrance and exit points, besides the two elevators that were a few rooms down. She dropped her arms to her side exasperated with how everyone seemed so up in arms over the incident at the McReary home.

“Then don’t involve yourself in it. I’m sure your boss can get you someplace else.” Niko saw the two guards and shifted slightly. He had given Kate his suit jacket and his pistol was very visible against the white button down.

“They won’t reassign me till this sex trafficking ring is gone.” She shifted her weight between her feet, “Fuck it” she kicked her heels off toward the wall and breathed out at being able to lay her foot flat. “For what it’s worth. I’m glad you managed to get inside the house when you did. My partner was about ten minutes out. And the agents at the dock were scared shitless with how you took everyone down.”

“Thank you. I would have driven right by their place and never known something was wrong.” Niko glanced at her shoes and looked back to her face. She was giving off this weird vibe. Like she was angry and itching for a fight but was working hard at not showing it. It caused his own hackles to rise. He didn’t think she would start a physical fight, verbal yes, but she wouldn’t come at him. There would be no point to. He would win that fight easily.

“You’re welcome. Still not happy you two are dating, but then again, we weren’t ever really dating huh?” She regarded him and crossed her arms under her chest tightly, causing her breasts to push up and together. She tilted her head to the side as if in deep thought.

“When someone lies about who they are, creates a fake identity, and has a set up apartment, yeah you could say it was a one sided relationship.” He scoffed at the notion.

“So it was real for you?” She smirked at getting him to confess that he had felt something.

“You were the first female to take notice of me since I got to LC. Not that I was really looking for companionship.” He glanced back down the hall at the guards. The direction their conversation was going was unsettling him. He shook his head, “The sex was alright.” Niko shrugged and barely had time to dodge the strike of her fist. He ducked away easily and grabbed her wrist, using her body motion to rotate her around and tuck her arm up behind her. It was a painful angle and he shoved her toward the wall that he had been leaning in to, releasing her in the process. “Try and hit me again and I will break the arm attached to the hand.”

“Fuck you, you know the sex was great. Admit at least that to me!” She lunged at him trying to land a punch or kick, but all he did was slap her attempts away. It was incredibly frustrating for her, as she had been training for years for her first assignment and she could not even hit an ex-military infantryman from a foreign country.

“If you think that was so great then your sex life must really be bad where you came from.” Niko shoved her arm away from him as she went for a gut punch. “You don’t follow through with your strikes, and you leave yourself open-“ He stepped into her and kicked her leg out from under her and grabbed her closest arm pulling it behind her and jerked it to an odd angle, keeping her body prone on the floor. “I could dislocate it right now.” He warned, “Stop attacking me.” If she wanted to fight, he would end it now.

“Fine!” She urged and attempted to get out of his hold. He let go and she cradled her arm to her. She smirked up to him before swinging her leg out to swipe his from under him. He stumbled back and found his footing, then had to block her fist and she lunged after him again. She slammed her body into his and forced them through a push door across the hall from Packie’s room.

They tumbled through the door and down a short flight of stairs; Niko kicking her off of him to be able to right himself. He rolled away at the landing, quickly crouching down, and grabbing his gun. He clicked the safety off and took aim, “Stop this now Karen. This isn’t some game.” He took a few steadying breaths and watched as she mirrored him.

“Life is nothing but one big game Niko. You pick your characters; your options are nothing but a series of tests and battles. You chose to kill all these people here in Liberty. Some I’m sure I know nothing about. And now you are regretting it because it put Miss Princess in trouble? No, that’s not how it works.” She was on her knees, her gun drawn and pointed to Niko. She shook her head to clear her vision. She had hit the wall and almost fell down the next flight of stairs. Somehow, she had managed to find purchase on the top step and took aim with her own gun.

“You sound a lot like someone I recently killed. He told me that I could pick the game, but not change the rules.” He felt the same coldness settle down on him that he felt before he killed Dimitri. The air chilling his body, the faintest of whispers floating to him about pulling the trigger and being done with her games.

“He’s right you know. The rules are in place for a reason. You step out of line and things happen. Torres stepped out of line when she decided to deal with Heroin. Had she just kept to the coke; I may have never been assigned to bring her down. The streets and the law have a delicate balance. And once it starts to tip one way or the other, chaos ensues. You jerked the balance scales too far Niko.” She let out a long sigh and regained her ability to breathe normally. She glanced over her shoulder at the next flight of stairs. The door to the first floor was closed and it had a badge scanner in order to be able to enter.

“You crossed the line by getting yourself involved with me. It could have been you instead of Kate that Dimitri wanted to have raped and killed.” He lowered his gun, clicking the safety back on and sat back on the bottom step of the stairs they had tumbled down. The fall on the stairs had agitated his own bruises, especially the one on his shoulder blade. His chest also felt tight and he rotated his shoulder to loosen the muscles. He glanced around the stairwell looking for exits or windows. He noticed that each landing had only one wall light and it caused deep shadows to form in the corners.

“More than likely not. Considering I had to turn you in. Either way our time together was going to end and end badly. I had hoped to be able to speak with you, tell you what was going on. But I wanted my life back.” She lowered her weapon and used the nearby wall to help her stand up. She had a large bruise forming on her leg where he had kicked her, and she winced when she put pressure on that leg.

“Your boss has said as much. All I have been doing since coming to LC is fighting for my freedom. I will not stop till I am rid of Ray, the people he works for, the people who want Kate’s family dead, and the people who wish to use my skills.” He readied himself for her to come at him again. He wasn’t sure why she had gone and attacked him, but he wasn’t going to let his guard down.

“And then what?” She rolled her eyes and lifted her dress to put her gun back into the holster.

He watched as she hiked her dress up to reveal a thigh holster, the thin fabric of her thong visible in the dim lights of the stairwell. She tucked the gun into its slot and adjusted the buckle to tighten it. Her hair had fallen in front of her face and she tucked it behind her ear. She was an attractive woman. And he had no problems when it came to their physical side of their relationship. She was adventurous and wild, and she had pushed their relationship toward a more sexual one. Every time they had a date, it led to sex, sometimes all the date was, was sex.

She straightened up and left the dress hiked up slightly as it had caught on the holster. She eyed him from across the small space, “You plan to live happily ever after?”

A loud banging rang out in the small space and caused both of them to jump. Niko shot to his feet and readied his pistol. Karen met his gaze before turning and looking over the metal railing toward the bottom of the flight of steps. The banging kept up a steady rhythm and it caused Niko to realize that it sounded like someone trying to break down a door.

“Michelle-!” Niko tried to warn her before the sound of a metal door slamming open on the brick wall echoed up the stairwell shaft. Angry shouting in Russian greeted his ears and he knew trouble was heading their way. He moved, needing to get them to a better vantage spot. He grabbed the back of her dress and yanked her back toward him and the flight of steps they had tumbled down. She nearly tripped over her feet when she collided into him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright.

A barrage of bullets sprayed up toward where her face was just seconds ago. Niko shoved her toward the steps needing her to get out of the way, so he could get a clear shot. He crouched down against the wall and took aim. He would get a clean headshot of the person who was unfortunate enough to round the corner first. He counted the steps he could hear and tried to sort out the noise to get an idea of how many were bum rushing them. He noticed Karen turn back around about halfway up the steps and readied her own pistol. He would have some help, but having her to his back was uncomfortable, and he was not sure if she’d just put a bullet in the back of his own head.

“Niko I only have seventeen rounds. I don’t have extra. You?” She breathed out quietly and tried to steady her slightly shaking hands. This would be her first shoot out.

“Nine. And I don’t plan on missing.” He didn’t bother looking toward her. The steps were quickly approaching.

_“They have to be in the ICU wing. Boss said to finish the job. Move. Move. Move.”_ One of the people in the stairwell yelled, the rapid beat of footsteps drawing closer to the second floor landing.

‘ _Russian, and dumb ones. At least they are in a hospital…’_ Niko let out a slow breath and took aim as the first head popped into his line of sight. He only let a split second pass before pulling the trigger. The wall behind the head immediately getting sprayed in blood. Another body moved into his vision and Karen shot twice dropping the body to the top of the steps below them. They worked in tandem taking out people as they rushed up the stairs. Bullets rang out and echoed loudly in the small staircase. The noise almost deafening as it reverberated around them.

“Hey asshole. You get to tap that yet? We all watched the video.” A heavily accented voice called out to them. A few laughs following the statement. “ _It looked to be one tight snatch! Ivan and Vova loved being rough!”_ Another round of cackles erupted at the words.

“Fuck off. Come up here and find out. _I’ll let you go meet the fuckers I killed. I’m sure hell is running out of space!_ ” Niko yelled back and shifted to be able to see down the next flight of steps. He ducked back when the people took aim and fired off a couple of rounds. “Fuck.”

“How many did you see? I can call this in.” Karen moved down the steps to crouch at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder when she got close enough. Her heart was racing wildly in her chest and didn’t understand why these men were in the hospital attacking them.

_“That another female? Maybe she’d be more willing to put out!”_ A different person yelled out into the staircase, causing a few more laughs.

“ _Shut the fuck up and die already!”_ Niko shouted back. He glanced at Karen to see a flicker of fear cross her features before she schooled them. “There is at least three on the landing. They can’t open the door to the first floor. Key or badge needed,” He pointed up at the device on the wall that prevented people from entering by the door they had fallen through. 

The door opened and Francis edged in slightly, gun at the ready, “Niko?” He called out.

“Down here!” Niko turned back to the stairs watching for people should they try to make it up the steps again.

“What’s going on?” Francis held the door open and tried to listen to what was happening in the stairwell.

“Francis call for backup. Russian mobsters are a floor below. Heavily armed and extremely hostile.” Karen called out and ducked down when another round of bullets rang out and impacted the brick wall above her and Niko.

Niko placed his hand on the back of her head and kept her down as the bullets kept coming. He tucked himself down as close to the floor as he could without impeding his line of sight to fire out. Once the bullets stopped, the sound of reloading reaching his ears, he pulled her upright and shoved her toward the stairs. He moved with her and took the steps quickly.

Francis held the door open and helped guide them into the hall, “You two!” He called toward the armed officers at the ICU entrance, “We are under attack! They are on the first floor landing. Stairwell C.” He pulled the door closed when more firing sounded.

The two guards moved toward them, rifles at the ready. They lined up and got prepared to reopen the door and start firing back. Francis pressed his hand to the push bar and shoved the door open. The two guards moved into the doorway and started firing at the people who were on their way up the steps. Niko followed them back into the stairwell and leaned over the railing trying to get a headcount of people below, firing once at a person who looked up over the railing below. The person’s body fell over the railing after being killed.

“I see eight on the first floor landing!” He ducked back when one of the guys noticed him and fired his weapon.

“Get back into the hall! Flashbang out!” The one officer close to him pointed back to the held open door, before removing a flashbang and dropping it down to the landing below. Niko rushed into the hall and Francis pulled the door closed before the loud _bang_ of the grenade shook the walls.

“Boss! We have people attacking the Holland Hospital. Too many civilians present.” Karen yelled into her phone. She was crouched down by the staircase door, cell phone pressed up to her ear, “NOOSE would be nice.” Another loud explosion rocked the walls causing her to brace against the wall, “And hurry. We are low on weapons and ammo.”

“Niko man! Catch!” Little Jacob and Badman ran down the hall through the double doors that the guards were keeping watch over; Jacob tossing a rifle toward Niko.

Niko caught the rifle easily and checked it quickly, making sure the safety was off and it was full auto, “Thanks. When did you get here?” He tucked his pistol into his waistband. It would be backup.

“Apparently not before the party showed up. Let’s cut them off on the first floor lobby!” Jacob turned to head toward the elevators, motioning they follow the two Rastas.

“Go Niko. I will keep Kate and Packie safe here. Karen go with them. If you can cut them off before getting to this floor, then that will keep them safe. Go!” Francis walked over to stand in front of Packie’s ICU door. He would stand guard and keep anyone from getting in. He raised his pistol and took aim at the door; he would make sure to drop every body that came through it.

“Niko?” Kate opened the door a crack and glanced around at everyone holding weapons. Karen’s dress looked disheveled, hiked up around her hips with a gun holster visible, her hair askew, a flush to her skin. Niko’s clothes were slightly wrinkled, and his dress shirt was dirty, part of the shirt was untucked in the front and his belt was crooked in the belt loops. Even his tie looked crumpled and was loosened from the knot. She recognized Jacob from dinner, but the other man she didn’t know.

“Kate stay in the room with Packie. We will keep both of you safe.” Francis turned toward her and tried to direct her back into the room. He didn’t want her out in the hall and the sound of gunfire was getting louder behind the stairwell door. The last thing he wanted was for her to end up in a hospital bed like Packie.

“Kate. It’s okay. We got this covered.” Niko walked up to the door and waved Francis off, “Take this and do not open this door till I get back, or Francis tells you to.” He reached behind himself and pulled his pistol back out with his left hand, turning it for her to take.

“Niko what’s going on? I can hear shots.” She flinched as another _bang_ reverberated in the hall.

Niko hadn’t reacted to the noise and only kept his focus on her. “Some men are here trying to kill people. And I fear they are here for you and me.” He held the pistol out further to her, his grip shifting on the rifle he held in his right hand. “Take it.”

She pulled the door open completely and threw her arms around his neck. The sight of him holding the rifle bringing a couple of harsh memories to the forefront of her mind. She didn’t like seeing him geared up and did not want to see him walk off into danger. She let out a whimper and tried to calm her thoughts. They rocked back and forth between so many different things and if she could just slow down and focus on one thing, she would feel better. “Niko don’t go.” She mumbled the words against his neck where she buried herself. She wouldn’t be okay if he left her alone again. Especially if there were people here that wanted her dead. _‘Does no one watch scary movies? Being separated is the worst thing you can do.’_

“Katie, I need to protect you and Packie. I need to keep you safe.” He did his best to hug her back with the weapons in his hands. He let out a silent sigh and leaned his head into hers. He needed to do this, and he needed to eliminate the enemy. She needed to understand. She _would_ understand. She had to, for he did.

“Stay. _Please_! I can’t lose you too.” Tears filled her eyes and she pulled back enough to look into his eyes. She was greeted by the sight of the cold blooded killer. He held no fear, no uncertainty. His features were hard set and he looked ready to march into battle. His eyes were not the soft ones she cherished seeing, and the image made a small amount of fear bloom in her heart. She shook as she placed the tips of her fingers to his cheek.

“Niko brother! We got to go!” Jacob shouted when the firing sounded like it was getting closer to the door. Badman took aim at the door in case they broke through.

“You will not lose me.” He relaxed his features some and tried to let her know it would be okay, but the firefight and the shouting was getting out of hand. “Now get back inside the room and stay with Packie.” He leaned forward and placed a light kiss to her lips. He wished he could do more but hoped it would be enough to keep her calm long enough for him to take out a couple of Russian mobsters.

She hesitated before kissing him back. She ran her fingers over his cheeks and pulled back ever so slightly before placing a kiss of her own to his lips. These weren’t the knee weakening kind, and she longed for those kisses again. To be in his arms, or his lap in the car, racing down the streets on their way to his apartment. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut not wanting the tears to fall.

“O-Okay. You better come back to me.” She moved out of his arms and took the pistol, holding it to her chest. Her legs felt like lead and she froze just inside of the doorway. It was like she was saying goodbye to him and she didn’t like the panic that was sluggishly moving through her body, slowly squeezing her insides. Her blood turning cold in her veins.

“Always.” He saw the panic that was rising and felt bad for leaving her alone, but people needed to be dealt with. He took one last long look at her, memorizing the curls of her hair, the tears that filled her eyes that she refused to let fall, and the tremble of her lips. She was fighting so hard to not cry in front of him and he tore his gaze away. He would make it up to her later.

“If you two are finished? We have people who need to be dealt with!” Karen hollered when the walls shook one more time with the force of a grenade. She rolled her eyes at the sight the two of them made. ‘ _God, she needs to grow a backbone!’_

“Oh shut the fuck up Karen.” Niko said sending her a mild glare. He would see to his girlfriend above everything else. “Let’s go Jacob, Badman. We will cut them off from the lobby.” He hurried his steps as the three of them took off for the elevators.

Karen ran after them, “The stairs lead down to the parking garage. It must be how they got in the stairwell.”

“No one needs a snitch present.” Jacob mouthed off, roughly pushing the button on the wall for the elevator.

“Or a bitch!” Badman added not liking her following them.

“Right now, you don’t have a choice. You should be sitting in a cell just like Torres. I kept you out of it. Now we can either get along long enough to go kill these assholes, or I can just let you three walk into a damn ambush!” Karen put her hand on her hip and gave the three males a once over. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the name calling and back and forth banter. Her training was kicking in, and she knew every second they wasted, could be another life lost.

“Ambush?” Niko asked.

“Yes! You don’t think those idiots haven’t taken the lobby as hostage yet? They probably sent some of their guys to guard the front. If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that these people aren’t as dumb as I like to think they are. They know LCPD response time. It’s quicker since this is a hospital and there are armed guards here already. They knew once the shooting started, police would be swarming this place. I say we take the service elevator.” She pointed to the end of the hall where the laundry rooms were.

“You have a point. How did you two get in?” Niko weighed his options. He knew police were probably already outside the building and NOOSE would be getting there shortly. But if Jacob and Badman had just waltzed in, then they would have at least seen the lobby.

“We were coming to visit Packie and noticed those Rascalov looking men breaking down the metal door in the parking garage. We went to get armed then took the emergency room elevator up to the ICU floor. We didn’t enter through the main lobby.” Jacob turned to regard Karen. He didn’t like being around her. And the last thing he wanted to deal with was a two-faced bitch who might cross them once the shooting stopped.

“Okay service elevators it is.” Niko waved them down the hall and took off in a run. The sooner the situation was under control the better. He was worried about the number of men and prayed that the security officers had enough ammo to hold them off in the staircase. “Sweep the lobby, then enter the stairwell to cut off the flow of men.”

“Right. Weapons check?” Karen reached the back service elevator first and pressed the down arrow. She unloaded her gun and counted her bullets, “I only have ten left.” She glanced at the men around her.

“Who put you in charge? I don’t listen to pigs.” Badman got in her face and leaned his shotgun on his shoulder.

“This badge right here means I can cap your ass and not get in trouble for it!” She yanked her IAA badge from down the front of her dress. She held it up to Badman’s face, “So either shut up, get over it, or die.” She pressed the barrel of her pistol to his stomach.

“You kill him, and I kill you.” Jacob held up his shotgun and aimed for the side of her head. “And no one is going to miss you.”

“Guys. Enough. Let’s kill the Russians first, then we can start shooting one another, yes?” Niko had ignored the exchange. He was busy checking his rifle Jacob had given him. It wasn’t as nice as the one he had back in the apartment, but it would do in this situation. He glanced up and the standoff and shook his head. “Full rifle. Thirty rounds.” Niko added, moving the rifle to a better position.

“Twelve slugs. Nine rounds in the pistol. Fifty in the SMG. I have more weapons in my car.” Jacob shifted on his feet. He glanced to Niko and saw him shake his head. He trusted Niko to do the right thing and not let the female kill his brother. He lowered the shotgun from Karen and motioned Badman to do the same. 

“I ain’t telling you shit.” Badman kept his distance from the female. Jacob had told him what went down on the coke deal, and he had no interest in helping keep her safe or alive. He would keep an eye on her during the fight to make sure she didn’t take aim at his friends.

“Jesus! Whatever! Okay Niko, Jacob, since you two are more armed- you sweep first. I’ll get the shotgun they keep in the security office off the lobby once we get down there. Then I’ll rejoin you at the staircase door. Stairwell C remember. If we get separated. Work your way back to ICU room number 229. Keep your heads up and eyes open.” Karen nodded to them and entered the open elevator door.

“Stairwell C. ICU room 229. Got it.” Jacob followed her in and kept himself between her and Badman. He didn’t need another fight breaking out over the one they were all about to walk in to.

“Okay. Watch your back too.” Niko took front position. He was ready to start dropping bodies.

aaaaaa

Kate paced back and forth at the end of Packie’s bed. Her heart was racing, and her blood was pumping. She clenched her hands closed to help stop the shaking, but all it did was make her feel more panic. The gun she had immediately placed down on the tray table by Packie’s bed, her hands didn’t feel right holding it. Niko had just walked off into battle without a second thought and left one of his weapons behind. She had seen the way he took out people at Derrick’s funeral, but this was different, right? She rubbed at her temples. He was reckless and enraged at the funeral. This was cold, calculated- like when he killed the man in her bedroom.

She knew this would happen eventually. She knew he wouldn’t let any of the people involved with what happened to her live, but could it not wait another day or two? She needed a break and she needed it _now._ He had asked her if she wanted him to exact her revenge. She didn’t want revenge. She wanted peace. She wanted a life that wasn’t filled with gun fights, drunken brawls, and crime. She wanted to leave Liberty City and have Niko be the knight in shining armor that whisked her away from this hell hole. But dreams were only that- dreams. Meant to fill the void when resting. Reality wasn’t as kind.

She placed her hands down on the end of Packie’s hospital bed. Just seeing him lying there so quiet, unnerved her. Packie needed to wake up, Niko needed to get back to her unharmed, Francis needed to accept their relationship, Ma needed to be buried- the thought of Ma bringing a new wave of tears to her eyes.

‘ _Poor Ma… At least she is in heaven away from Pa. And maybe she’s able to get some sleep now…_ ’

So much was compounding in on her. She took a couple of deep breaths and desperately tried to calm her fraying nerves. This happened every time she knew her brothers were off on some stupid heist or job. The bank robbery was no secret. She had seen the news, could easily identify her two brothers and Michael. Not to mention Packie had gone and bought a brand new flashy car about a week after the incident. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and it made her wonder just how dumb the police were at times.

The violence was every where she looked in her family. No one had been spared, and now she was in a relationship with someone who had violence follow him at every turn. She berated herself for believing that she could have a normal relationship with Niko. Why she had gone and fallen for someone who was probably off shooting at people as she thought, she couldn’t say. But he wasn’t like that with her. She saw a different side, maybe his true side. And that was the side she wanted to see every day. Not the cold blooded killer who mercilessly murdered people for money.

“Niko please don’t do anything foolish. I’m struggling here. I know I said I could try to accept this other side, but it is so difficult. What if you can’t be free?” She walked to the window and peeked out the horizontal blinds. The sky was clear of the clouds and she could barely make out a few stars. The lights of planes coming in and taking off flickered against the inky black sky. She leaned into the windowsill wishing she could just disappear with him and never have to see this city again. Maybe board one of those planes in the sky and never look back.

“What are you doing to me? Don’t you know I love you? That I wanted you to give this life up and move on with me?” She whispered the words wishing someone would give her all the answers she needed. She turned away from the window after realizing no answers were going to come from her musing aloud. She took a couple of steps toward Packie’s bed and plopped down into the armchair. The pistol on the tray table caught her attention. He had handed over his pistol so easily. Why would he give up another line of defense? Wouldn’t he need it? Her thoughts starting up again with the line of questioning that wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Kate? That you?” Packie groaned out. He blinked several times against the harsh light.

“Oh Packie.” Kate breathed and quickly sat up in her chair. She reached out and took his hand in hers. “Yes, Packie it’s me. You need the lights lowered?” She reached out and took the bed remote and clicked the overhead lights off.

Francis quickly walked into the room and closed the door softly. He thought he heard voices in the room and wanted to make sure everything was okay. The stairwell had gone silent and he feared that the police officers had perished along with the shooters. Seeing his brother awake brought a smile to his face.

“Yeah thanks. Where am I? Why do I feel like I’ve been shot?” He looked toward his sister before noticing someone else in the room, “Oh hey Frankie! Nice of you to stop by!” He smiled to him and attempted to wave slightly, his arm dropping heavily down onto the hospital bed.

“You weren’t shot. Only poisoned. But you made it through.” Francis said as he moved to stand at the foot of the bed, “How you feeling otherwise? They get you the good stuff to not be hurting?” He sent a caring smile to his younger brother. Kate had told him much about what happened with Pa, and he now regretted abandoning his siblings the way he had. He had been so selfish and arrogant toward his family. With their numbers dwindling down, he knew he only had one more chance to make things right.

“I don’t feel a thing. Really, I don’t. Kind of a great fucking high if I do say so!” Packie slightly slurred his words before looking back to his sister, “God you are so beautiful Kate. Did you ever call my friend Niko? You two would make the perfect couple. He’s great. A true friend. He wouldn’t hurt a hair on your head! Hell! You wouldn’t even have to worry about him getting in your pants! I told him to not try, so don’t worry about that part.” He squeezed her hand.

“Uh Packie?” Kate looked up alarmed to her other brother, unsure of where this was going to end up. Packie was definitely out of it.

“What? He dating someone else? Don’t worry! I’ll tell him to dump her for you. No problem. I think he likes you anyway. He came to Derrick’s funeral after all, for you.” He smiled up at his sister and nodded continuously at his words, fully under the influence of the pain killers.

“He did?” Her mouth dropped open and tears obscured her vision. She brushed her fingers over her brother’s cheek and had to smile at the thought of Niko coming to check on her during a dark time in her life, even before things between them took off. She had only considered him a friend at that point and was still extremely hesitant and weary about him being involved with her family.

Francis wondered why he had shown up at the funeral. Weird of someone to go to the funeral of someone they killed in cold blood. They had made eye contact as he entered the church before Niko sat down in the same pew as him. He watched him the entire service completely flabbergasted by the notion of him being in a church, at the funeral of a man he killed. “But Derrick’s funeral was ambushed wasn’t it?” Francis spoke from the end of Packie’s bed.

“It was. Fucking Albanians. I didn’t see you try and defend the family. Or show up at the burial site. Niko did. He fought them off and helped me keep everyone from getting killed. He showed up and comforted Kate for our loss. That’s when I knew he cared more for her than any other dude in this city. Where were you?” Packie glared toward his brother.

“It wasn’t my best moment. Seeing Derrick dead, hearing the gunshots- I grabbed Ma and moved her to the back of the church to keep her safe. Kate fought me to stay near the door and windows to be able to see you and Niko fight off the attack. Was childish and reckless of her. But Ma was distraught and needed to be comforted. Once the fighting was done, I sent her with Kate to go to the burial site. I needed to be alone.” Francis looked down and fisted his hands on the bed rail. He had left like a coward. Not wanting to be around the gunfight. He had gone back to his apartment and drank himself into oblivion.

“He’s right Packie. He protected Ma. I wanted to make sure you and Niko were okay. Don’t get too mad. He’s here now to check on you, right?” Kate held Packie’s hand tightly and sent Francis an apologetic smile. She had seen what took place inside the church. And knew Francis still gave at least one fuck about their family.

“Right. I’m sorry Patty. You, Kate, Gerry- We are all that’s left now. There is trouble heading our way. We need to watch each other’s backs now.” Francis moved to stand next to Kate and pulled her into a side hug.

“I know. Brothers?” Packie held out his other hand that wasn’t held by Kate.

“Brothers.” Francis shook his hand and leaned into Kate, “Family.” He kissed the top of her head and smiled down to Packie.

“Family.” Kate muttered fighting off the tears that wanted to fall. It was moments like this that made her believe that they could be a functioning family.

The whole hospital rocked with a loud explosion causing the lights to flicker overhead. Kate grabbed on to Francis in order to stay upright.

“What the fuck was that?” Packie did his best to try and sit up only to realize he couldn’t move his body the way he normally could, “And why can’t I move?!”

“Some people are attacking the hospital. Probably _friends_ of yours. Kate stay here with Patty. I’m going to go see what happened.” Francis drew his pistol out of the hip holster and headed for the hospital room door. He opened it a sliver and checked the hall for people before slipping out to stand guard.

“Hand me the gun Kate. I can help.” Packie said as he took the remote to lean the bed upright, noticing a pistol laying on top of the tray table.

“You can’t even wave your hand. I can do this.” Kate was transfixed staring at the gun. She had never fired one. Had only held this one pistol a few times, but never properly or to where it could be fired. Her hand hovered over it, unsure if she could actually fire the weapon to take someone’s life.

“Kate this isn’t the time. You really think you could fire it? Give me the gun!”

aaaaaa

The elevator doors didn’t make a sound when they opened, and Niko was thankful for it. The group silently filed into the quiet and slightly dark service hall. The signs above them indicated the kitchens and laundry rooms off to the left and the main lobby to the right. Niko steadied his gun and raised it, he crouched as he made his way toward the main lobby.

Karen watched as Niko took point, Jacob taking his six. It was like they had done this so many times and she had to smile at the sight they made. She never would have pegged the two of them hitting it off as well as they did, but in this city, weird alliances were made every day. Badman glared at her as he passed and went after Jacob, sweeping his shotgun back and forth to the open doorways they passed. She decided to let them have some space before following. She didn’t have much ammo and wouldn’t be too much help if she ran out quickly.

Niko held up his hand as they reached the door to the lobby. Muffled shouting could be heard, but no gun fire. The group stopped walking and took their cues from him, “Okay there is no window, so I don’t know what we are walking in to. I’ll take the right, Jacob the left. Badman you watch his six. Karen you’re with me. Take any and all of the gunmen out. Karen I’ll give you cover to be able to get into the security office. Then we meet up in the main hall by the stairwell door. Good?” He glanced over his shoulder as he whispered out orders. They were going in blind and he didn’t like it.

“We will need to rush in. The element of surprise is our only advantage. On your count Niko.” Karen whispered back.

“One,” Niko held up a finger, and took a steadying breath, “Two,” He joined another finger, before lowering his hand to the rifle.

A loud explosion rocked the building and caused them all to fall over to the ground. The smell of smoke reached his nose first before the high pitched ringing caused him to stir to conscious thought. He rolled over to his knees and had to take his movements slow. The ringing in his hears was discombobulating him and he was having a hard time clearing his vision. He crawled over to the rifle and picked it up. The lights flickered back on overhead and he noticed that the others were also coming to.

Jacob shook his head and grabbed at his temple. Badman was slumped against the wall rubbing at his eyes. Karen was on all fours trying to get her bearings. She looked up to him and sent him a questioning glare.

“I think they have a rocket launcher or grenade launcher. I didn’t hear the whistle of a rocket, so probably grenades.” Niko shook his head and cleared his vision, “Come on. The sooner we get them taken out, the sooner we can rest. You ready?” He glanced to Jacob and Badman getting nods of confirmation, before turning his gaze back to Karen. “Alright.” He took up position again to open the door to the lobby. The others resuming their positions to rush in after him.

“Three!” He shouted and shoved the door open, diving to the right and taking aim at the first person he saw with a gun, the under barrel having a grenade launcher. Pulling the trigger twice aiming for the chest and head, he dropped the person. Jacob rushed out after him firing off his shotgun at the person who turned their direction. Badman standing and shooting someone who was standing on the check in counter. Karen rolled to the right after Niko and stayed close to him as they worked their way to the security office door.

Bullets rained down everywhere. The gunfight was in full force and Niko had to duck between chairs to take cover between shots. There were more men in the lobby then he thought would be there. He leaned out from behind his cover to shoot at a man who was running over toward them, watching as the body fell limply to the floor. He turned in time to see Jacob blast someone by the front door. It looked like Jacob and Badman were working to get the front doors secured. The blue and red lights from the cop cars were flashing outside the windows and sliding glass doors. One of the doors glass was shattered and a police cruiser was on fire just beyond it. He assumed that was what had exploded from the grenade launcher.

“Niko!” Karen shouted when she saw someone approaching Niko from behind. She pulled her trigger, but the gun only clicked, the magazine was out of bullets.

Niko spun around in his crouched position and fell backward to avoid a strike from the rifle the man swung toward where his head had been. The man charged him, knocking Niko’s rifle out of his grip, and threw the other rifle to the side and pulled out a knife. Niko rolled backward over himself and got to his feet, blocking the first swing of the man attacking him. Karen ran over and jumped at the man, using the small magazine table to get a boost, and wrapped her arms and legs around his back and tried to place him in a chokehold. Niko dodged another swipe of the knife, grabbing the wrist and disarming him of the knife.

The man reached back with his free hand and grabbed a handful of Karen’s hair jerking her to the side and effectively throwing her off of him toward a chair. She slammed into the metal frame chair, causing it to topple over as her body made contact. She cried out in pain when she hit the floor, her hand going to her hair to check for blood.

Niko spun the knife in his hand and took a better hold on it, before stepping into the man’s fighting stance and jabbing the serrated edged weapon into the person’s chest over his heart a couple of times. He removed the knife and dodged the feeble strike before slashing at the attacking arm. He jammed the knife back into the chest and ducked out of the man’s reach when he pulled another knife from his waist.

“ _Dodge this mother fucker_.” Niko felt the cold end of a pistol make contact with the back of his head. His whole body froze, and he could only think about how it couldn’t end like this. He had no weapon, no clear move in order to dodge or save himself. He raised his hands slightly and gulped. Kate’s smile flashed across his mind and he felt sick at not being able to see her smile anymore.

Karen looked up from her sprawled position on the floor and let out a panicked, “ _Niko!_ ”

Jacob and Badman turned from who they were shooting at to see their friend about to be killed. Time slowed as they both desperately tried to find a clear shot, and not hit Niko or Karen. They swung their shotguns toward the man who had a pistol to the back of their friend’s head. Jacob lowered his shotgun and removed his pistol aiming for the Russian.

_Bang. Bang._

The sound of a pistol rang out twice in the lobby, the cool metal slipping away from his head. He turned around to see who had killed the man with the gun to his head, as well as the man with the knives.

“ _Should have dodged_.” Florian stood in the entrance to the main hallway of the hospital, pistol pointed his direction, a proud smirk across his face.

Niko pulled the knife from the dead man’s chest, flipped it once, and threw it toward Florian, the knife impaling into another gunman’s head who had approached Florian from behind. “We are even now.”

“Niko, I think that’s all of them for now. We need to get to the guys in the stairs.” Jacob ran over to his side, pushing a couple more shotgun shells into his weapon. Badman following close behind, reloading his own weapons. “You okay?” He placed a hand on Niko’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze, before letting go. That had been about as close as he had been to losing a friend.

“I’m good. Thanks for asking.” He nodded his thanks and walked over to help Karen to her feet, “You injured?” He helped her find her footing, checking for injuries, holding her sides to keep her steady. He raised a hand and brushed her hair from her face and gently grabbed her chin, turning her head to the side to see where the man had grabbed her hair. Satisfied that he hadn’t pulled too much hair out, he lowered his hand back to her waist.

“No. I’m good. Nothing that can’t be walked off. I think my ego hurts worse.” She smiled to him and tucked some of her hair back behind her ears where he had brushed it away from her face. She felt so alive being in the middle of a battle and managed to keep from being killed. She lowered her hands and placed them over his, loving the feel of them being on her again. They had always been so physical with each other and she missed his touch immensely. Her eyes slid partially closed and she dragged her gaze over him. He was the same hardened criminal she remembered but being able to see this side and partake in a gun battle with him was exhilarating. She only ever got photos, notes, and brief descriptions of his fights. She traced over his fingers with her own and felt herself leaning toward him.

“You must be the famous ex-girlfriend I have heard so much about tonight.” Bernie walked over to the group, picking up the discarded rifle and passing it off to Niko, giving him the ‘you better get your hands off of her before Kate sees’ look.

Niko immediately removed his hands from Karen and took the rifle. He recognized the look and put some space between them. He knew she still had feelings for him. Her touch had given him pause. There were good moments of their time together. Their first bowling date had been spent laughing and talking about life. She had made him feel relaxed and they had simply had an easy time goofing off and making jokes about their terrible skills at bowling. It wasn’t till the third or fourth time hanging out that they had kissed. And from then on it was all physical, with her constant probing into Roman’s life and his, and the offhanded remarks about criminals and gangsters.

“Uh yeah Bernie, this is Karen. She’s an IAA agent.” Niko moved over to the dead bodies and started collecting ammo and full magazines he could use. Jacob and Badman following suit.

“Pleasure.” Bernie nodded to the fairly attractive woman whose dress was hiked up around her hips. “But seriously darling, you might want to fix your dress. Wouldn’t want all these men ogling your lovely glutes. You must work out a ton to be able to have those legs and ass. I’m so jealous.” He over did the persona and had to keep the smirk from his face when Niko snorted.

Karen flushed a bright red and went to fixing her dress. She hadn’t cared at all about how she was dressed, only caring about not getting killed, and killing the men who were attacking the hospital. Dress back in place, she straightened up and addressed the few bystanders in the lobby. “I’m IAA agent Karen, please exit the building if you can. If you need medical assistance, please call out and I will help get a nurse to you. Is anyone severely hurt?” A person by the check in counter called out to her and she headed over to try and help.

“Niko let’s go.” Jacob had grabbed what he needed off the dead bodies and was standing in the main entrance to the hallway. Badman stood guard watching the hallway for anymore stragglers.

“Right. Karen you got this?” He glanced over to see her helping a nurse tend to a bullet wound on an injured female.

“Go ahead. I’ll send backup once they get here. Strange NOOSE hasn’t shown yet.” She turned to look out the glass front doors.

“They said they were ten minutes out about five minutes ago.” The nurse said next to her.

“I’ll send them up to the room and have them set up a perimeter.” Karen waved the men on and went back to helping provide first aid.

aaaaaa

Francis had moved out into the hallway to give Packie a chance to catch up with their sister and was feeling better at having the chance to set things right with his younger siblings. He had taken to standing guard after the explosion. The shooting had stopped in the stairwell and he feared opening the door. He wasn’t sure if the two armed guards were dead, or if the men attacking them were. He shifted his grip on the pistol as he watched the door.

Ron threw open the double doors and ran down the hall to him in full tactical gear. He was out of breath and was finishing up the strap on his helmet. “Reporting for duty Deputy Commissioner.” He saluted his boss and took a couple of deep breaths to steady his racing heart. He had heard the call on the radio for NOOSE members to swarm the Holland hospital. He rushed through getting the items in question into evidence bags and boxes before dashing off to his squad car to gear up. He hauled ass to the hospital and took the ER entrance to the ICU floor. He hadn’t heard a call to arms like that over the radio since the terrorist attacks six months ago.

“Do you know the status of the men attacking the hospital? I don’t have my radio on me. It’s in the cruiser outside. I was only able to call dispatch.” Francis placed his hand on Ron’s shoulder, trying to help calm him down. It felt good seeing him there. Ron had been trying out for NOOSE for years, but he enjoyed having the man as his lead detective. But always gave a good word when the captain would call about his application.

“NOOSE is almost here. The last count I heard on the radio was twenty something men armed with AK-47s. Cops have the place surrounded and they are stopping everyone on the streets and checking them for weapons. I have a chopper in route to get eyes in the sky. I got here as fast as I could. I can take first watch. Give you a break?” Ron adjusted his helmet one last time before checking his weapons, extra ammo, and how many grenades he had.

“I’ll stand watch with you till Niko gets back. Packie is somewhat awake. Not very lucid and his memory is all over the place. I think Katie is trying to get him sorted out.” Francis nodded to the door behind him.

“Gotcha. How bad is he? I wasn’t expecting to be called to another crime scene so soon after the last one. There someone after your family?” Ron turned and readied his rifle. He would be vigilant and not fail at protecting his boss’s family. He scanned the hall for open doors and counted how many were closed.

“He was definitely poisoned. Someone tried to impersonate me and off my sister and her _boyfriend_ ,” He grimaced at the word, “Packie being the drunk that he is, drank the whole poisoned bottle of champagne. Idiot. I saw the pictures you sent. It did look like my handwriting, but I swear I didn’t send those items. I didn’t even know where Niko lived before tonight.” He shook his head. This had been one close call after another.

“What a coward. Go for the silent kill. No one would have known till someone went looking for them.” Ron shook his head in disgust.

“My thoughts exactly. It’s not something I’m familiar with. I know the Ancelotti’s and the Pavano Family are sneaky like that. And with the passing of Jon Gravelli; The mobs are all over the place, whacking whoever they want. The damn city is falling apart faster then I care to keep up.” Francis pulled out a pill bottle and popped a couple of pills into his mouth and swallowed them, “I swear the only reason I’m on meds is because of running into Niko and dealing with Gerry all the time.”

“What did Niko do?” Ron turned his gaze away from his boss when he saw the pill bottle. He knew his boss had vices, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch.

“Nothing. Nevermind. The less you know the better.” Francis put the bottle back into his jacket pocket. He was craving a drink bad. As much as he hated the man who was dating his sister, he couldn’t forget all that he had done to save his own ass multiple times. He would need to talk to Niko privately soon to settle whatever differences they had. He knew Derrick’s death was going to be the one thing that kept bringing them back to each other. And he needed to know why Niko had killed Derrick over him. It haunted him nightly.

The two fell into silence before the sounds of gunfire started up again in the stairwell across the hall from them. Both Francis and Ron snapped to attention and readied their weapons.

aaaaaa

Niko prepared to storm the first floor door to stairwell C. Florian had his back, while Jacob and Badman took up post on either side of the door to keep people from getting to the staircase. He knew they would be better off heading them off in the parking garage, but he had seen the men on the landing for the first floor. He listened to hear gunfire and was surprised by the silence on the other side of the door.

“What’s the holdup?” Jacob asked over his shoulder to Niko.

“There isn’t any sound on the other side of the door. There are two police officers in there and I don’t want them to shoot us.”

Karen ran down the hall toward them, shotgun in hand. “I found a spare security badge. We should be able to open the door to the second floor. I called my boss to let him know what’s going on. He should have more agents coming our way. I had the lobby evacuated and the nurses to get the place into lockdown. That way patients will be safe-” Just as she said the words, the lights shut off overhead and the emergency lights came on, a loud siren beeping overhead.

“A little late to be sounding the alarm don’t you think?!” Jacob shouted over the siren.

“The only one able to set it off is the security guard at the front desk, and they killed him! The nurse must have pulled it!” Karen shouted back. She tried to cover her ears but with the shotgun in hand, it was making it difficult.

“Enough! Let’s get his done.” Niko took a deep breath and kicked the door open, taking aim at the first person he saw, firing a few rounds at the Russian that had turned around shocked to see the door fly open. He made quick work killing the men in the stairwell. Florian had followed him in, hand on his shoulder, pistol firing off at anyone Niko wasn’t focused on. It was like falling back into old habits when they would clear buildings in the war. He turned one direction and Florian would go the opposite way. Being sure they stayed close, back to back, and protecting the other’s blind spots.

Karen rushed in after the two and focused her attention on the steps that led down to the parking garage, firing the shotgun at the men that ran up the steps. She wasn’t used to the power of the shotgun, and she had to adjust her footing and stance to be able to compensate for the kick of the weapon. She pushed the door shut behind her, keeping the small space clear of any obstacles. It was like a new siege of men had shown up in the time it took them to get into the stairwell, and they kept rushing the steps. Florian joined her at her side and shot at the men who managed to make it around the dead bodies that were piling up.

Niko shot the last guy on the landing and turned to fire over the railing at the men that had retreated down the steps. He wasn’t going to leave any of them alive. They had dared attack them at the hospital. And he would make sure Kate stayed safe this time. He would not fail her.

“Keep at least one alive!” Karen shouted over the noise of the shooting.

“Fuck no. They don’t deserve to live.” Niko took a couple of shots down the stairs when someone tried to peek around the corner to get a shot.

“Listen to me! We need answers. Dead people don’t talk.” The shotgun clicked as she pulled the trigger and noticed it was out of slugs. She dropped it to the ground and pulled her gun out of the thigh holster. She had managed to find some matching ammo in the security office and was glad to have a reloaded gun. Her training was in interrogation and manipulation. And she needed someone alive in order to get answers as to why they were attacking the hospital, and who they worked for. Quickly Karen made her way down the steps toward the parking garage.

“ _Damnit_! Karen!” Niko yelled after her, trying to grab her before she got too far out of his reach, “She’s going to get killed if we don’t go help!” He moved to start heading after her. “Karen, wait!”

“ _A dead ex isn’t the end of the world,_ Niko. But fine. Deathwish Ex-girlfriend rescue mission commences.” Florian deadpanned and rolled his eyes, turning to follow his comrade down the stairs.

Karen had made it to the parking garage door and was moving through it when a wave of bullets crashed toward her. She scrambled back into the small landing room and slumped down by the wall, sitting down on the floor clutching her thigh. Niko reached her first and knelt down in front of her, reaching out and slamming the door shut cutting off the barrage of bullets. “Fuck.” She whispered moving her hand away from the burning sensation on her leg.

Niko placed his hand on her knee and lightly twisted her thigh to look at the wound, silently handing his rifle off to Florian who took up watch with it. A bullet had grazed her outer thigh and it was swiftly bleeding. He also noticed another splotch of blood on her upper arm. “It doesn’t look like the bullets entered, but you took two good hits.” He grabbed her hand and placed it over the thigh wound, putting pressure on it, “Keep your hand on it.” He made quick work tearing off some of his long sleeved dress shirt sleeve. He nudged her hand out of the way and pressed the cloth to the wound, making her hiss in pain. 

“Damnit Niko! How bad is it?” She leaned her head back into the wall and let out a shaky breath. She was starting to feel shock settling in. Her heart was pounding away in her chest, and she could feel her arm and leg throbbing with the accelerated blood pressure. A film of sweat broke out across her face and she wearily wiped at her face. The room feeling colder all of a sudden.

“You will need stiches.” He glanced up at her face and noticed her eyes closing. He tapped her face gently with his free hand, “Stay awake. No sleeping.” He grabbed her hand again and placed it over the makeshift bandage. He didn’t let go of her hand till he felt her apply pressure to her leg.

“Here. You need to stay warm.” Florian took off his suit jacket and draped it over her chest, making sure it stayed out of the way of Niko. She sluggishly pulled her one arm through the sleeve and tried to shift the coat over her. Florian knelt down and helped move the suit coat over her better. “Your arm is hit too. But not as bad.” He observed the small slice the bullet had made along the smooth skin of her upper arm.

“Stay calm and don’t hit me.” Niko warned before shoving her dress up and undoing the buckle of her thigh holster. He completely let the buckle fall open and removed it from her leg before moving it over the wound, “This is going to hurt like hell. I’m sorry.” He placed the thick side of the holster over the wound and looped the strap through the buckle. He glanced at her face waiting for her permission.

“Get it over with.” She nodded and turned away not wanting to scream into his face. She knew what was coming. Florian placed a hand on her shoulder for support, and she reached up with one of her hands to grab his wrist. She braced best she could for the impending wave of pain that was coming her way.

Niko pulled the strap tight around the wound and did the buckle. It would keep pressure on the wound and hopefully keep it from bleeding out. The only noise Karen made was a whimper. And he had to hand it to her- for that would have had him cursing out in pain. Niko checked to make sure it was tight, but not too tight that she would lose feeling in the leg. He adjusted her dress back down to help cover her better. He didn’t think she’d care too much about modesty now, but he would respect her while she was injured and bleeding. 

“The cops? Are the dead?” Karen leaned into the wall and pulled the suit coat on her correctly and closed it. She was starting to feel really cold and was having a hard time getting her vision to stay focused and clear. She blinked rapidly and tried to lock in on Niko’s face.

“I didn’t see their bodies.” Niko cupped her face and saw the effects of blood loss setting in. He stood up and looked to the door, Florian handing him the rifle back, “You going to be okay if we move on? You see how many were out there?” He knew they didn’t have much time before her condition worsened to a dangerous level.

“I didn’t really see much. Sorry. But how many can there possibly be?” Karen shifted on the ground trying to get more comfortable. The sound of firing started again on the other side of the metal door. And she squeezed her eyes shut at the noise.

“ _Niko she’s going to bleed out if she isn’t seen to soon. That wound looked deep. And her arm is bleeding too._ ” Florian was still by Karen’s side and he tucked some hair behind her ear, turning her face to him to see how coherent she was. “ _I give it ten to fifteen minutes before it’s too late.”_

“ _I know. But we need to kill those guys on the other side of the door, then we can get help. We were supposed to have backup. But it might just be us two._ ” Niko dislodged the magazine in his rifle checking for the bullet count. He was running low, but it would do for now. “Karen you will need to sit this out. Bernie and I are going to go into the garage and take out whoever is left. I hope your backup gets here.”

“Okay. Be careful.” She closed her eyes and leaned into Florian’s hand, her head feeling really heavy. Florian moved her over to the corner so she would stay upright, the movement only causing a few small painfilled gasps to escape her lips.

“Niko? _Good hunting._ ” Florian smirked as he stood up and walked to his side.

_“To you as well. Let’s kill these fuckers. Like old times.”_ Niko placed his hand on the handle, getting ready to pull open the door.

_“Like old times.”_ Florian moved to his back and placed his hand on Niko’s left shoulder. Together they barged into the parking garage. What they weren’t prepared to see was an entire NOOSE team, IAA agents, and LCPD officers to be surrounding the remaining Russian mobsters. Some of them were dead on the ground, while others were on their knees surrendering. The two stood in the doorway completely dumbfounded.

“Agent Johnson,” an IAA agent rushed up to the two and held his badge up, “We got this situation under control now. You can go back to your friend in the ICU wing. Tell Francis we got the call.”

“Uh thanks. You know about the bodies in the lobby?” Niko lowered his weapon and inspected the badge making sure it was real.

“Yeah the LCPD is processing the scene. Lots of wounded people. If you two are good, we are going to take the few remaining idiots over here to an ‘off the books’ sight. Thank you for your work.” Johnson nodded to the two men, turned, and headed over to where a couple of Russians were being handcuffed and hauled into the back of a black van.

“Niko? Karen. We need to get her to someone who can help.” Florian clicked the safety on to his pistol and tucked it into the waistband of his dress pants.

“Right, let’s go.”

aaaaaa

“Niko?” Francis called down the staircase. The firing had started and stopped quickly, and it worried him. He knew Niko was skilled, but how skilled was yet to be determined. “Ron stand guard. I’m going to go down and check it out. Okay?” He looked over his shoulder to his detective. He trusted this man with his life and knew he would do everything he could to keep his sister and brother safe. Ron gave him and nod and stood in front of Packie’s hospital room door, assault rifle at the ready.

As quietly as he could he descended the stairs, pistol drawn and at the ready. He kept to the outer walls, trying to limit the blind spots as he moved down the steps. He passed several dead bodies, including the two police officers. He shook his head seeing them. They didn’t deserve to die tonight. He crouched down and placed his hand over the chest on one of the officers and pulled out the badge wanting to know their names. They had simply charged into battle not caring who they were protecting or fighting, just doing what they felt was right.

“Poor guys. Hopefully, you didn’t suffer too much.” He looked them over for bullet wounds and saw how riddled their bodies were. More than likely from the AK-47s he saw present on the concrete stairs. The bulletproof vests didn’t do much protecting against the barrage of bullets sent their way. He reached out and closed their eyes, saying a silent prayer for them. He put his pistol back into the holster and picked up the discarded tactical assault rifle from one of the officers. He heard a door opening down below and got ready to shoot whoever was heading up his way.

“ _You sure you don’t want me to carry her? You look exhausted. How long have you been fighting before I showed up?”_ Florian helped settle Karen into Niko’s arms. She was in and out of it and the white torn sleeve was soaked in her blood beneath the makeshift tourniquet. Once he was sure Niko had a decent hold on her, he picked up the rifle and swung the strap over his shoulder. He didn’t think there would be anymore fighting, but he would take point.

_“Not long. But the past couple of days have been nonstop. Thank you for showing up. I’m a little shocked to be honest.”_ Niko shifted Karen in his arms and tried to keep his hand and arm away from rubbing her thigh wound. He could feel blood trickling down out of the makeshift bandage he made. And her arm wound was soaking into his shirt through Bernie’s thin suit coat.

“ _The oath. I will not sit idly by when I know people like this are after you and Kate. And her brother?”_ Florian asked, Niko nodding when he made the right connection, “ _Her brother was targeted, and it was a possible hit toward you two?”_ He turned and started up the stairs, pulling the rifle around him to have a more relaxed, but ready, position.

“ _I am almost 100% sure the hit was meant to kill Kate and me. Packie wasn’t the intended target._ ” Niko followed behind his comrade and tried his best to keep his movements steady and not jostle Karen around too much. She lulled her head into the crook of his neck and collarbone, where Kate loved to rest against him. It caused an involuntary shiver to travel down his spine.

“You two can speak English, whatever gibberish you two are talking in is weird.” Karen moaned in Niko’s arms. Her head was pounding, and her body was hurting. The burning sensation was fading, but the extreme sharp stabbing pain was replacing it, making her agitated. And she felt cold, but hot at the same time, as if there was no comfortable position or way to be.

“Your language is difficult, barbaric, and annoying. You are lucky the rest of the world even attempts to communicate with this blasted country.” Florian snapped turning to glare over his shoulder at the woman in Niko’s arms. He remembered having to learn to speak the language and how confusing it was at first. But it made life here easier and was how he was able to talk with the love of his life.

“Geez, what’s gotten into your friend Niko?” Karen whispered against Niko’s neck. She was losing the battle against sleep and being close to him was comforting. She had tried to tuck herself into him more, but every time she moved, her arm or leg would shoot pain through her body. He was warm to the touch, and she craved the warmth of him again. He didn’t spend the night often, and usually was out the door after sex. But on the few rare occasions where he stayed after? She enjoyed laying in his arms listening to the beat of his heart, the steady rhythm dragging her into a deep sleep, only to wake up alone. A simple text saying something came up and he had to leave.

“Try to rest. Save your strength.” Niko answered her. He was getting increasingly uncomfortable holding her, but there was no way she was going to be able to walk up the stairs. They were getting closer to the second floor and he would need her to get the key card out so they could enter the door.

“Nobody move!” Francis popped around the landing corner and aimed the end of a rifle at them. “Niko! Thank _God_!” Francis recognized the man from Niko’s group of friends at dinner, then noticed Karen in Niko’s arms. “Shit! Hurry. I’ll get a doctor. The room next to Packie’s is empty.” Francis turned and took the steps two at a time getting to the landing quickly. He knocked on the door repeatedly hoping Ron would open it for them.

Bernie ascended the stairs and returned the rifle to his back, offering to take Karen from Niko in order to give him a break. “I can take her for a second?”

“Karen the key card, where is it?” Niko shook her lightly trying to wake her, ignoring Bernie’s offer to hold her. 

“Here.” She moved her uninjured arm up to her chest and pulled out an ID card from the security guard from her dress. She held it up for someone to take, trying her best to not shake too much.

“Thanks.” Francis grabbed it from her and swiped it across the scanner, the door clicking open immediately. He pulled the door open and held it so everyone could get into the hall. Bernie went first and rushed into the empty ICU room to get the bed prepped, and to find a first aid cart. Niko carefully moved them into the ICU hallway, glad to be out of the stairway. The overhead lights had come back on and the siren had stopped blaring. He headed for the ICU room next to Packie’s, hoping a doctor or nurse was close by. She was coming to, but the wound was still bleeding. Not as heavily as it was, and he hoped the makeshift bandage was working to slow the blood loss. 

“I’ll go find the doctor on this floor. Keep pressure on it!” Francis had seen the slow drip of blood off her leg as Niko walked into the hallway. He took off down the hall toward the nurses desk. “Is there a doctor or nurse that can help!” He called out frantically. 

“Niko? Is she okay?” Ron lowered his weapon after seeing them pass through the door carrying an injured female. He moved into the ICU room and started pulling out blankets, bandages, and saline water. 

“Not sure. Two bullet grazes. One worse than the other.” Niko moved quickly across the hall and entered the door Bernie held open. He gently set her down on the bed, the action causing her to stir awake and groan. She sat up slowly and removed Bernie’s suit coat, handing it to him as he neared the bed.

“Bill me. I’ll pay for the dry cleaning. But I think it might be ruined…” She noticed the bright red that had seeped through one of the sleeves. The amount of blood caused her to look down at her arm to see the damage inflicted.

“Dear I never wear the same suit twice.” He inspected the blood stains and wished he could save the suit. It was one of his favorites, but as he had said, he mostly only ever wore a suit once. “I’m going to go check on your friend, Niko. See what’s taking so long; I’ll be back in a minute.” He draped the suit over his arm and moved out of the room.

Ron poured some of the sterilized water onto a cloth and began wiping off the blood around her wound on her arm. He saw how the other wound was haphazardly dressed and knew things weren’t looking good. He went to work on cleaning it and getting a bandage on it to help stop the flow till the doctor got there. Niko helped him with the gauze and tape, wanting to do something as he felt somewhat responsible for her running off toward the garage.

“This is going to be uncomfortable. I’m sorry miss.” Ron placed the gauze patch to her arm and took the roll of tape from Niko and began to tightly wrap it around the wound.

“Ow.” She closed her eyes and bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

“I can finish Ron, go stand watch. I don’t know if there will be any stragglers. Kate and Packie are unprotected right now.” Niko took the roll of tape from the officer’s hand and started to finish bandaging up the bullet graze. He tore it from the roll and held it firmly to her arm to make sure the tape would stick.

“Okay. Call out if you need help!” Ron nodded and moved quickly out of the room to go stand guard.

“That was dumb, huh?” Karen did her best to move up the bed once Niko let go of her arm, to be able to rest her head on the pillow. The movement caused her to flinch at the pain.

Niko hesitated before helping her move on the bed. He didn’t like touching her, and _really_ didn’t want to be in her personal space anymore. But seeing her wounded, bleeding, and in pain caused the softer side of him to surface. “You weren’t expecting to be shot up by entering the parking garage that they had stormed out of?” He raised his eyebrow at her statement. The utter ridiculousness of it all causing him to smirk.

“Well when you put it that way, it makes me feel real stupid.” She grumbled, picking up the bed remote to tilt it up to an upright position so she would be comfortable.

“I thought IAA trained their agents better. But at least they only grazed you.” Niko halfway sat on the bed by her injured leg and turned it gently to be able to look at it in better lighting. He reached out and traced over the holster, “You are lucky to have had this on. I don’t think my belt would’ve made a decent tourniquet.” She had been lucky, and in a way, he was glad for her good fortune.

She placed her hand down on top of his over her wound, “Thank you. I owe you.” Maybe it was the craziness of the situation, the blood loss, or the adrenaline that was trying to pump back into her veins, but she figured now would be the only time she would be able to get him to talk to her. Not yell. Not fight. But talk. And she longed to have some of her burning questions answered.

She studied his hand and couldn’t help but trace her fingers over his, “I asked you earlier, before all hell broke loose, if you planned to live happily ever after. Do you?” She looked up to his eyes wanting to know exactly what his relationship was with Kate. If it was just a fling, something more concrete, or just a means to pass the time. She didn’t want to hold out hope, but she missed him immensely. Being close to him, partaking in his line of work, seeing how gentle he could be- it all made her regret having to turn him in even more.

Niko sighed and looked toward the window. He could see the questions building behind her eyes. He just wanted to be done and go back to Kate. She had been so scared looking when he left her in the ICU room. And every second he spent in this tiny room with Karen kept him feeling edgy. Something inside him kept whispering to leave, to walk away while he still could. He shook his head blocking out the noise, “There is no such thing as happily ever after. But there is an ever after.”

She smiled at his words; he had said something along those lines on one of their dates, “You were always so cynical, and such a pessimist.”

“You have the upbringing I did, and you’d see the world as nothing but a cold, dark place.” He tapped her knee with his thumb, “This is a lucky miss. You could be dead at the bottom of a stairwell. Having your life taken away before ever really getting to see what comes next. I have come to terms that life is not permanent. That every second I get to live, is another second, I have to move on with my life. I do not know what waits for me in the future.”

“Niko you are a good person at heart. You may have only been a name on a piece of paper that was part of my assignment, but that name turned out to be someone I regret hurting. I tried to hide things, keep you out of the picture with my boss, but he figured things out on his own. I didn’t want to want you. I was going to tell you. I had dropped so many hints, the constant fishing for info about Roman and Mallorie. I had hoped you would have noticed. My feelings kept fading in and out, but for you, they were going _crazy_.” Feeling bold, she tucked her hand under his and threaded their fingers together. “I am truly _sorry_ for what I ended up putting you through. Working with my boss isn’t easy. And the IAA isn’t kind either. Changes things. Changes… you.” She looked down to their joined hands, wishing that things had been different. That she wasn’t stuck where she was. She tried to walk away from him. She tried to drown out his voice, erase his smile from her mind, but every time she’d close her eyes at night, he was there in her bed. The further she distanced herself from Niko, the closer she wound up being to him.

He squeezed her hand, accepting the apology for what it was, and removed his hand from hers placing it on her knee, “Michelle-” He sighed her name out, “Sorry. Karen. You and I weren’t going to last. My life was heading down the fast track to worse crime, and I didn’t want to have someone who would inadvertently get burned by my choices.” It was partially true. Their breakup, if you could call it that, came at a time where everything was starting to unravel. Playboy X, Dwayne, Elizabeta, Manny, _Francis._ Things were culminating into a gigantic mess and had they still been dating when Roman was kidnapped, things might have turned ugly. It was the one thing that had kept him so hesitant to start dating Kate. He knew the people after him were ruthless, evil, and cruel. And as much as he had liked Michelle- Karen, he didn’t want her to be used against him when Dimitri came looking for him.

“I’m so used to Michelle being my name now I pretty much answer to both. Michelle did always sound better coming from you than Karen does.” She gave him a lopsided smile and tugged his shirt around his tie to get him to lean close to her. She closed the space between them, keeping her lips a hair width away from his. She gazed into his eyes to see his reaction. He hadn’t jumped away, hadn’t removed himself from her hold on his shirt and tie. He only blankly looked back to her as if daring her to make a wrong move. His eyes were always her favorite feature of him. She could get unbelievably lost in them. Her fingers threaded around the satin tie, loving the feel of the soft fabric against her skin, “ _Niko_.”

“Karen there is nothing here for me anymore.” Niko whispered the words to her. He didn’t want to crush her, but she needed to know that he didn’t feel anything for her anymore. He had moved on. Was working toward building a lifetime relationship with someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life. The voice inside was screaming at him to move away, to get out of the room before more damage happened.

“There could be. Let me show you what you have.” She whispered back. Her eyes glassed over with unshed tears. She would give it her best shot. She needed him to know.

“Karen, I love someone else.” He didn’t move, didn’t have to. He knew she wouldn’t kiss him.

“I know. She is one lucky Irish girl.” She tilted her head down to rest their foreheads together, closing her eyes in anguish. She knew in her soul that he was in love with the redhaired female that held no comparison to her. She lifted her injured arm and placed her hand against his cheek, trailing over his scruff, longing to feel it rub against her skin as they made love. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as his words finally registered in her brain… ‘ _He loves her…’_

“Then you know that you have to let me go.” He kept still in her grasp. He started to count in his head to a number he felt was safe, and when he reached that number he would back away. _‘Move now… Kate will be hurt…’_

Karen opened her eyes to see how his held no love for her, only an understanding that things were done. She figured she was only acting this way and feeling weird due to the blood loss. Her mind and body were injured and that had to be why she was pouring herself out to him and desperately trying to tell him how she still wanted him. His expression started to darken, and she knew she was running out of time to either act on her unrequited love or take the high road and let him leave. She tilted her head ever so slightly and placed a light kiss to his cheek, close to the corner of his mouth, “Go. Packie is waiting for you... And Kate deserves your love.” She leaned back and looked up toward the door. Her face dropped at who she saw.

“Doc is here to patch you up…” Francis stood in the doorway with a doctor right behind him. He kept looking at how close the two people were, her hand was on his face, and she had kissed him. And Niko hadn’t even made a protest to the sign of affection. He gave Niko an incredulous look. How in the world could he claim to be what was right for his sister if he was in the next room kissing on his ex-girlfriend?! His face turned red with rage.

Niko saw the thoughts Francis was thinking as they flickered across his face, and he narrowed his eyes when their gaze met. “You had best stop the line of thinking you are on. Nothing happened.” He warned him. He kept his tone harsh wanting to make sure he got the point. The last thing he needed was Francis running off to tell Kate that he found the two of them alone in a room with evidence of wrongdoing. _‘Now look what you did!’_

“I wasn’t thinking shit.” He raised his hands in a show of surrender. _‘But Kate doesn’t deserve to be cheated on!’_ He moved out of the way so the doctor could get to work on Karen, a couple of nurses entering in after the doctor. “Oh, and Karen? Your boss called me. Said you needed to report in on Jason, as well as what went down here at the hospital.”

“Thanks. My partner said he got your call.” Karen shifted on the bed and patted Niko’s knee once before turning her attention to the doctor to answer any questions he had. She didn’t want to see Niko right now. Her heart was breaking inside her, and she knew that the yelling she was going to receive from her boss was only going to make things worse.

Niko stood up from the bed and walked over to Francis, making sure to maintain a somewhat threatening stance. The last thing he wanted after all this was Francis starting some ridiculous rumor about him and Karen kissing in the room next to Packie. Kate didn’t deserve the underhanded comments or the pain that would surely happen if she thought he had cheated on her. Especially after giving her a panic attack.

Francis moved out of the room, followed by Niko, and let the door close behind him, closing off the view of Karen. He knew he needed to talk to Niko and do it in a way that wouldn’t ruin whatever budding relationship he was building with his sister again. He had a lot to make up for. He had listened to Kate spill her guts about everything that happened at their Ma’s place after he had moved out. And while he didn’t like the fact- no he _hated_ the fact that his sister was falling in love with the man who killed Derrick, it was her choice. And she had remained adamant that she wanted to be with Niko. But after seeing what looked like a kiss between the injured agent and Niko, he was ready to defend his sister’s honor.

“Niko, we need to talk eventually. But right now? Isn’t it. Packie is awake and Kate must be dying to see you again.” He pointed to Niko and tried to build up the courage to accuse him of what he saw in the ICU room, “I may not be Kate’s favorite brother, or the most loved McReary member, but damnit Niko! If you ever and I mean _EVER_ cheat on my little sister I will not hesitate to tell Gerry and lock you up in his cell!” He took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger. “Look whatever you and Karen did in here. It can’t be what I think I saw. There is no way you’d do that to her!” He cringed when Niko only glowered at him.

“Nothing happened. And should I get wind that you told Kate otherwise, I _will_ do what Derrick asked of me.” He left no room for argument. He wouldn’t let Francis bully him or blackmail him anymore. And he would be damned sure Kate knew nothing happened between him and Karen. She had only kissed him on the cheek, nothing more. Their relationship was done, over, and put to rest. ‘ _But that kiss was so close to your lips. She was going to kiss you… and you would have let her!’_

“Okay okay! I get it. Stop with the killer look. It’s downright creepy.” He shifted on his feet uneasily needing to change the topic, “I got Ron to grab the champagne bottle and vase of flowers. He sent me a picture. They were a nice bouquet. He also said it looked like my handwriting. But I swear I didn’t send that to you. I would never want to kill my sister.” He winced at the death glare Niko sent him, “Or you Niko.” He sighed and lowered his eyes. He moved over to Packie’s door, nodding at Ron who had taken up position again. “You coming?” He looked back to Niko who hadn’t moved from in front of the other ICU door.

“Give me a second. I’ll be right there.” Niko sighed and leaned back into the closed door, tilting his head up to the ceiling. He watched as the door silently closed Francis off from view as he entered Packie’s room. He let out a shuddering breath, stumbled across the hall, and sank down to sit on a nearby chair. He dropped his face into his hands and closed his eyes. He needed a good night’s sleep. Things kept unraveling around him quicker than he could keep up. He couldn’t even settle on one emotion to feel, as everything kept trying to bombard his mind. All of his choices seemed to lead to worse choices and the domino effect was in full force- with him trying to outpace them as they fell to be able to stop it all from crashing down.

‘ _You know, if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that we must obey the rules of the game. We can pick the game, Niko Bellic. But we cannot change the rules.’_

Niko scoffed at the memory. He hadn’t chosen to play the game, Roman had forced his hand. Or had he? He was already too far deep in the human trafficking ring in his homeland, moving people for Ray- he simply tried to start a new game, when the old one wasn’t finished. He wanted out of his own life. To hit the restart button. But there wasn’t one to press. And his only choice was to keep playing till the end. Kate had been like an extra life. It made it easier to want to leave it all behind. And he was trying to. He could see the end in sight. Deal with Ray Bulgarin, make his people quit coming after him, and then find a real job. One that allowed him to make money in an honest way. So he could provide for Kate and be able to give her the life she deserved.

Karen had stirred some weird unfinished feelings in him. He had thought he had burned their bridge to ash when she confronted Jacob and him about the coke. And now that he had been thrown into the mix with her at his side it tilted his world sideways. They had fought. Physically fought. Then ended up in a large gunfight for their lives. She had managed to cause concern to bloom to life in him when she had haphazardly gone toward the parking garage. And he had to admit, his heart briefly stopped when he heard the guns firing off at her, with her in the line of fire. Now she was getting stitched up in the room next to his best friend.

“ _I’ve seen that look before. Want to talk?_ ” Bernie held out a bottle of water to him. He walked up silently and watched as his friend collapsed down into the chair. He could only imagine what was going on. He had been so distant from violence, guns, knives, death since coming to Liberty. And getting to fire off his pistol tonight had woken up the other side of him. After finding the doctor and Francis, he had taken a minute to walk the halls and cool off. The side he called Florian was a violent and vicious man, and he didn’t want to be that anymore, he wanted to be Bernie.

He was glad he had gotten there when he did. But he had no intentions of killing someone. He had promised to be a shield. But when he heard gunfire from the lobby, he hadn’t hesitated, and ran toward the sounds of battle. Seeing Niko with a gun to his head snapped something inside him. He had dropped back into old habits and drawn his pistol, firing off two bullets, killing both men who were going to harm his friend. In a way, it was like getting a second chance at saving his comrades. He had failed to keep them safe from Darko’s betrayal. Now he felt somewhat at peace for being able to have saved Niko from death. Just as he had several times in Liberty City. 

But then… who was he now? He had succumbed to what came naturally while fighting along side Niko. But now he wanted to shove it all away and go back to the happy, joyful Bernie. The one who didn’t want to kill people. The one who was happily in love with Bryce. He liked being the kind friend to Niko’s killer. Not an accomplice. 

“ _Not really. I’m fine.”_ Niko took the bottle of water and downed it. The cool water soothing some of the rage that still bubbled below the surface.

“ _If you say so.”_ Bernie would leave it be for now. It was a very public place and he didn’t like airing out personal things like this in public. Especially after shooting several men. He nodded to the armed police officer across the hall.

“ _You okay? How long has it been?_ ” He looked up to Bernie. It hadn’t crossed his mind, but that could very well be the first time he had fired a gun since the wars.

“ _Too long. I will not be able to sleep tonight.”_ He turned and leaned into the wall next to Niko’s chair. “ _But I am glad I got here when I did.”_

_“Me too. Thank you.”_

“Niko. Badman and I need to get going. The heat is closing in, and we don’t need our guns confiscated. I heard some chatter about some other shooting going on down in Hove. We got a small window to get out of here.” Jacob and Badman walked up, their weapons lowered as to not have Ron spooked. They had finished off a couple of other mobsters on the first floor before heading up to the ICU room. They had called out in the stairwell, and when no answer came, they decided to stick to the plan and head back to ICU room 229.

“Get going while you can. I will see you two in the morning for the wedding?” Niko glanced up from the chair.

“I and I will be there. Badman has a new shipment coming in, should be stocked. Arms will be ready to assist. Yardies will be on the streets tonight and tomorrow. Don’t fear brother. We got this covered. The church in Algonquin, right?” Jacob waved Badman off to get the car ready.

“That’s the church. See you in the morning. Roman will want you two dressed up if you can manage it. Thank you for coming and helping me.”

“Anytime. Night. One Love.” Jacob took off down the hall after his friend.

“I am going to take that as my cue as well. Left a fairly upset Bryce back at the apartment. He will more than likely be gone. Shame.” Bernie dramatically placed the back of his hand to his forehead but snorted and smiled back down to Niko. “You will be alright for the night? No more shoot outs or attempted assassinations?”

“Go on! I’ll be alright. See you in the morning. Kate will probably end up at your place to get ready. She will want the extra people around after tonight. Or she might not leave the hospital. Who knows.” Niko laughed at his friends antics and sobered thinking about the wedding and how Kate was going to be once he got to see her again. If she’d want to see him after they parted the way they had.

“Okay. Goodnight Niko Bellic.” He sang out his friends name and twirled around once before heading off to the main elevators. He stopped before entering the elevator and lifted up the rifle he still had around his body, “ _This_. I am keeping.” Then he spun into the elevator out of sight.

He watched Bernie leave before getting to his feet. He figured he needed to go check on Packie, and make sure Kate was okay. She had panicked at her Ma’s house when he left the room, and he could only image how much worse this was for her. He nodded to Ron who was standing guard before taking a deep breath and opening the door. Niko slid into the room silently. He had much to think on, and he hoped seeing Packie awake and talking would help calm some of his thoughts. Someone had tried to off him and Kate like a coward, and Packie had taken the hit. Someone had sent something to kill them silently. It wasn’t something he was familiar with, having always liked the more direct approach to killing. This seemed deceitful and dastardly. Like something a rat would do. But Dimitri was dead, and he didn’t know anyone else who would stoop to such a level. He leaned into the wall by the door, partially covered in shadows, not wanting to disturb the conversation going on in the room.

Francis stood next to Katie, hugging her from the side, and holding Packie’s hand with his free hand. “The shooting is done. Everyone is safe for the most part. Going to be a nightmare on the paperwork, but that’s what newbies are for. I need to get back to work now. I’ll come back by in the morning to check on you before heading to the wedding. Will you be okay for the night?” Francis squeezed Packie’s hand and released it.

“Wedding? Oh yeah! Right! Sorry, whatever they got me on is great stuff! Yeah, I’ll be okay. Go get whoever did this to me. Niko can help. Don’t hate him too much. He’s family to me and will make sure nothing happens to us.” Packie nodded to his older brother and smiled at his sister.

“I don’t hate him. Get some rest.” Francis hugged his sister one last time, held his hand out to give Packie’s hand a shake, before heading toward the door. He stopped by Niko’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. They may have had a strained working relationship, but if he was going to continue to be with his sister, they would need to change how they saw one another quickly and come to an understanding. He nodded toward the door so they could talk.

Niko glanced toward Kate, letting their eyes meet for the first time. She was beautifully illuminated by the soft lights in the room. Her necklace sparkled in the dim light catching his attention. He sent her a soft look, wanting to let her know he wanted to see her, hold her, anything beyond just looking at one another. 

Her eyes widened slightly at seeing him in the room. She hadn’t even heard him enter. But her brother was signaling to Niko to go talk out in the hall. While it sent her heart soaring to know he was alive, she knew he had unfinished business. Francis had mentioned a couple of details from the shootout. That they had all made it out alive, but someone had gotten hurt. She pressed her brother for who and was only told it wasn’t Niko. It had given her some relief, but until she was able to see him for herself, she was going to worry.

Francis turned to look at his sister and sent her a harden glare. She knew the look and knew that her brother needed to talk to Niko about something important. She turned her gaze back to Niko and gave him a slight shake of the head. She would be okay with Packie for the time being. She watched the two walk out the door.

“Oh Packie!” Kate crawled on the bed next to him and hugged him as best she could.

He wrapped his arms around her and held on with what little strength he had, “I heard you. I know I did. I would never leave you.” He felt his own tears prick his eyes and he shut them tightly. The two held on to one another and tried to comfort the other the best they could.

Niko closed the door and removed the sight of the two of them on the hospital bed. He would give them a minute to heal. He followed Francis down the hall unsure of what was going to be said. He didn’t like leaving her in the room, but he needed to settle whatever hostility was between him and Francis. He had only been able to get a simple glance from her when he had entered the room. And she had dismissed him just as quickly. Didn’t she want to see him? Didn’t she want to hug him or kiss him as much as he wanted her? Her dismissal hurt. He watched as Francis turned and leaned into the wall of the hospital, further down away from Ron and the ICU rooms of people they knew.

“I should never have asked you to kill Derrick.” He mumbled the words out and closed his eyes. He felt so tired.

“Could have fooled me.” Niko leaned into the opposite wall and crossed his arms. He glanced down the hallway both ways checking for people to make sure no one would overhear that was being said.

“I was angry. Worried that the idiot was going to expose me. And before you get all high and mighty on me- yes! I know he wasn’t in the wrong. I was.” Francis pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, “He was always so strung out. Mad ramblings over Aiden and Bucky. He ratted them out to me in exchange for leniency and protection. They were true to the cause not Derrick. And I did my best to keep him out of LCPD sights. It helped when he went back to Ireland. But the idiot returned.”

“So Aiden didn’t need to die?”

“The fuck? Don’t tell me that was you who broke him out of the prison transport and offed him.” Francis glared at Niko.

“Maybe. You’d have to ask Packie.” Niko shrugged and tried to remain passive.

“Fucking Christ you people are the reason I’m on so much medication!” Francis pulled out the pill bottle again and popped a couple more pills into his mouth and swallowed them, “To this day I don’t know why you didn’t just blow my brains out instead. Since you are so loyal to my family, and me being the outsider would have been the easier choice.”

“It was not an easy choice either way. You had more dirt on me. And as you said- Derrick was a strung out drunk and drug addict. I guess you could consider it a mercy killing. It would have been easier on Packie if I had killed you instead. But had I not shot, what would you have done?” Niko’s tone was even and cold, even though he felt like screaming. This kill was the one kill that would give him nightmares. And it wasn’t even the act of killing Derrick, the way his body slumped over after the life left his body. It was the fallout that would happen to Kate once she knew. And he prayed she would never ever find out.

“I probably would have forced your hand to kill him somehow. Which would have probably forced you to kill me instead.” Francis rubbed at his temples, “And now that you are dating my sister it makes things more complicated. I thought I was done ever seeing you again. You did your part, kept your end of the deal up, and now here you are- involved so heavily in my family’s fucked up affairs. Was a complete and total shock when Packie called saying you were at the house and killed the intruders. I had no idea what to think. Packie had just told me Ma was dead, and you had been there to kill two men who went after Kate.”

“Your family’s fucked up affairs would have dragged you down from the spotlight eventually. How soon do you think the death threats would start heading your way if Kate and I were the ones in the hospital? Or worse killed because we were unable to get help after drinking the poison? All that would be left would be you, Packie, and Gerry. Gerry would be easy to eliminate. He’s stuck in one location, a sitting duck. They almost got Packie at the club when the two men broke into your mother’s house.” Niko counted it off on his hands, trying to get Francis to see that what was happening was bigger than just the small trouble they had all been involved in. This was no longer as simple as take someone out who had dirt on them.

“You have a point. Had they been successful last night. Kate, Ma, and Packie would be dead. You? Only the Lord knows. You have nine lives and manage to survive just about everything thrown your way. Gerry would have been an easy target like you said. And so would I. I have my own enemies who want me gone, some even work in the LCPD. I knew it would be hard to cut ties with my family. To be completely shut out from their pull. I tried. But I really should have stayed.” He let out a long suffering sigh.

“Regrets are hard to live with. They eat away at you, consume you, and will eventually be why you wish for an early grave.” Niko was quietly contemplating all of his own regrets. Some were worse than others. And right now, he regretted killing the McReary brother most of all. They had robbed the bank together. Packie, Gerry, Derrick, and him always had a blast when they would spend time together and get drunk at the McReary home. And now? Now he knew things would be torn to shreds if everyone found out what he did.

“Freedom isn’t free. Never was. We all have to fight, kill, steal, lie, cheat, and do what we must to obtain it.” Francis was wishing he had his flask with him. He could go for a drink right about now. He didn’t peg Niko to be a deep intellectual man and was surprised by his empathy and depth of understanding of their lives. Maybe he wasn’t so bad for his sister after all. He could almost see the hurt over killing so many people on Niko’s face. 

“No, the price of freedom is death. That’s the only way to be free it seems.” Niko scoffed and lamented the idea of freedom. He had no idea what that was anymore. He felt free when he was alone with Kate. He felt free when he had the chance to race down the streets of Liberty in the Infernus. But those were all fleeting moments of freedom. They were inconsistent. He lived under the shadows of people he owed; people who wanted him dead. Roman was almost killed for his actions. Kate was almost raped because of how close he was to her. There was no freedom in his life. But he planned on gaining that freedom soon.

“Sometimes I wish you had killed me. Learning what Pa did tonight. Knowing what Kate has been through. It’s hard to stomach. I am a horrible person, Niko. I know that. But I am going to try to be better,” He held up his hand when Niko went to protest the statement, “I do mean it this time. Broken record: I know. And it starts with you and me. I can only ask for forgiveness. I don’t expect it. I really don’t. And you don’t have to give it. Things never should have gone as far as they went. I gave you an impossible choice. And you picked.” Francis lowered his eyes and started to follow the patterns in the tile floor. He held a ton of regrets, most of them centered around his own selfish needs and wants. His life had unraveled quickly. He had leapt into the corrupt life easily. The money, women, power- it had all been so intoxicating.

“We are both fucked up individuals, yes?” Niko had to chuckle at the thought of putting them both in the same category.

“You could definitely say that again.” Francis felt the corner of his lip lift in a half smile. “You going to tell her? Hard to keep a relationship going when a big ass lie sits between you two.” He glanced up to the man who was dating his sister. He could almost see the dread build on his face before it was masked.

“No. Never. I am very good at staying quiet and keeping things from people. She is better off not knowing.” He didn’t like the thought of living the rest of their lives together knowing he had killed her brother. But there were so many other deaths, crimes, sins he had committed that far exceeded the weight of killing her brother in his eyes. And he had buried so much pain over the wars, what was one more thing?

“I hope you’re right. Women have a way of finding things out. If you keep it from her, please keep it from Packie. He loved his other brothers. I was never in any of their good graces. And it will destroy him.” They fell into silence. Francis shifted uncomfortably. He knew the next few days were going to be tough. He had this feeling that something bad was on the horizon, he didn’t know what it was, but after what happened to Kate, and what just went down at the hospital, he just knew things were not alright in the world. “If you,” He paused trying to choose his words correctly, “If you need help with whatever is heading our way. I will do what I can.”

“Thank you. I am not sure what is going to take place. Ray Bulgarin, he’s the one behind it all. Dimitri was the one who wanted to have your sister killed, among other things. They were working together. Dimitri is dead. But Ray is still out there. And so long as he breathes, I will hunt him down. He is not going to be allowed to live.”

“He should stand trial. Be brought to justice.”

“No. The only thing he deserves is an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere.” Niko’s coldness echoed with his words. There would be no arrest. There would be no trial. He was going to be judge, jury, and executioner.

“You really are a cold blooded killer.” He watched as Niko moved up off the wall and straightened his clothing. One of his sleeves was torn off from the elbow down, bright red bloodstains coated his chest and tie. He looked like a murderer in this moment. But all of the gore, wasn’t from his own injuries. He had gone down into battle and came out covered in everyone else’s blood. He was amazed and also terrified at what Niko was capable of.

“I am many things. And killing is something I’m good at. Ray will be the last and final person I send into the next life. After him, I plan to give it all up. Your sister deserves someone who isn’t cold. I will do everything in my power to be what she needs.” He nodded to Francis. He wanted to stop all the madness. He was ready to put the rifle up and move on toward a normal life. Whatever normal was. And whatever that normal was, he wanted it with Kate.

“Don’t get too lax. This killer that lives inside. It saved Kate. Don’t give too much of it up. The McReary Clan has those who want us dead. She has a target like you do- like I do.” Francis’ phone started ringing and he recognized the number, “Hold that thought, I have to take this.” He answered the phone, “Deputy Commissioner McReary” then entered a vacant ICU room.

Niko shook his head. That was probably the first real civil conversation he had ever had with him. He knew they were far from finished talking about Derrick’s death. It was going to be the one thing that kept the two of them connected. He would do his best to keep this secret from Packie and Kate. It would tear everyone apart and he didn’t want to lose those relationships. Kate would never want to see him again. And he feared what might happen to her if she fell off the deep end. He shuddered at the thought. He watched Francis pace around the tiny room and figured he’d leave him be.

_‘Probably work…’_ He took one last glance at the Deputy Commissioner and decided to head back to Packie’s room. They would need to head home soon and get some sleep. They had a big day tomorrow and after the last 72 hours, he would welcome some deep sleep with her tucked next to him. He walked into the ICU room and had to smile at the sight the two siblings made. Kate was holding on to her brother lightly sleeping and Packie was flipping through the channels on the TV, keeping the sound on mute.

“She just passed out. Sorry for the scare...” Packie smiled at his friend, before taking in the sight of him as he sat down in the chair Kate had been using before climbing on the bed. “Jesus fucking Christ! What happened to you?! Are you okay?”

“Oh this?” He glanced down at his shirt, the blood stains, and overall dirty disheveled look, “I’m good. Had to take out some assholes who attacked the hospital.” He only shrugged. He could imagine he made quite the sight. It was rather humorous to him. He was in a hospital covered in blood and not a single doctor or nurse had come to check him out.

“So the shots, explosions, and all that noise, was you?” His mouth dropped open.

“Me, Jacob, Badman, Bernie, and Karen. We had to stop them from reaching you and Kate. I wasn’t about to let them finish the job.”

“Oh, here,” Packie lifted the pistol he had tucked against his side and held it out for Niko to take. “Kate had this on her when I came to. Was fucking wild seeing her hold it and then _fight_ me on who was going to use it in case someone busted down the door.” He rolled his eyes.

Niko had to chuckle at the image he had conjured of her trying to hold the weapon and fight with her brother, “I’m guessing you won that argument?” He took the weapon from Packie and tucked it back to its normal spot.

“Not really! She took the gun and sat down on the chair, pointing the damn thing at the door. I had to tell her to take the safety off first and that broke down into one yelling match I won’t forget. Eventually I told her that she needed to learn how to use a weapon first before trying to fire it off. So your next date with her is going to be down at the docks teaching her how to fire a gun. And be sure she _aims_ out at the ocean.” Packie scoffed and dropped his head back into the pillow.

Niko could see the dark circles under Packie’s eyes, and it worried him greatly. “You feeling okay?” Niko settled back in the armchair and glanced around the room.

“Not really feeling like myself, but the meds are working. Poor Kate. She basically cried herself to sleep. Was cool having a decent conversation with Francis. It’s like the family is trying to be one now you know?” Patrick rubbed his sisters arm and dropped his arm back down to the bed. “Would be nice if I could move my body like I want.”

“I understand.” Niko nodded slightly. The doc had mentioned something about motor skills being lax for a couple of weeks.

“You know,” Packie mused, “After Derrick died, I thought things would settle down. Gerry is in prison, and I wanted to lay low for a bit. I was suddenly the leader of the Irish Mob. And all I wanted to do was breathe for a minute. Kate deserved to get out of the house. She stayed locked up with Ma all the time. I was glad when you two started to hang out. She needed a man in her life. And I trusted no one but you. You’ve had my family’s back since day one. She’s lucky to have you.” Packie’s eyes unfocused for a second and he smiled when he felt Kate shift against him.

“Those meds must be working wonders.” Niko chuckled at the goofy grin on his friend’s face, “I’m glad you are alive. I would be devastated if you were gone.”

“Man that was one close call. Two in a row now. The dude at the club. He had on this weird motorcycle get up. Had the helmet on and everything. I’m thinking he’s one of those Angle of Death MC members. He had on all black and tried to take me out with a knife. Lucky for him, I wasn’t too far drunk and was able to wrestle him down to the ground before jabbing his own knife into his chest. Your text is what got me up and moving before the dude attacked me. Lucky timing.” Packie was slurring his speech and was having a hard time focusing on one thing, his eyes opening and closing slowly.

“Motorcycle get up?” Niko echoed, the incident from earlier flashing across his mind. The man who had been in front of the Infernus at the traffic light coming to the forefront of his mind.

“Yeah you know. Dark jeans, black riding jacket, gloves, boots, blacked out visor on the helmet. Why?” He looked over to his friend curiously.

“No reason. We don’t normally have motorcycle gangs after us.” Niko could tell Packie was fading quick. His eyes kept blinking slowly and his body was relaxing more and more. It wouldn’t be long before he fell asleep.

“Gerry can let you know more about who we run against. Take care of my sis alright? I don’t think I’ll be able to stay awake much longer.” He yawned and shuffled down more in the bed, causing Kate to stir slightly.

“I will. Get some sleep.” Niko stood up and placed his hand on Kate’s shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.

“Mmm? Five more minutes?” Kate blinked her eyes open and closed them quickly wanting to sleep a little longer.

“We need to get back to the apartment so you can get some actual sleep. Packie needs his rest.” Niko nudged her shoulder again and watched as she sluggishly sat up on the bed.

“Sleep good Packie, I’ll be back tomorrow. Promise.” She placed a light kiss to his cheek and carefully moved off the bed as to not disturb her brother who had started to lightly doze. Her legs shook when she stood up and Niko steadied her. The heels on her feet made it difficult to stand up when exhausted, and she hardly ever wore heels. She had put them back on once Francis had given the all clear.

“Come on, let’s go get some sleep.” Niko placed a hand to the small of her back and led her toward the door. Her body leaned heavily into his and he did his best to keep her upright. She stumbled when they reached the door and her hand connected to his chest.

“Niko why are you wet?” She leaned away from him and looked at her hand that had settled on his chest when she stumbled into him. Her hand was covered in blood and her heart immediately started to race. The trembling started and she fought the fear of him being injured, but the sight of the blood wasn’t helping her resolve. Hesitantly she looked up from her hand to his chest, the sight of blood on him made her head spin. “ _Oh my God_!” She whispered panicked.

“It’s not mine. I’m okay. I’m okay!” Niko grabbed the sides of her face and forced her to meet his eyes. He could see the panic episode about to happen. He reached out and opened the door and led her out into the hall. He didn’t need her screaming and scaring Packie awake, inadvertently giving him a heart attack or something. She shook beneath his hands and he did his best to guide her over to the chair across the hall he had been using earlier. She all but dropped down into it.

“You’re bleeding. You’re covered in _blood_!” She shrieked the last word. _‘He’s injured. I knew he would get hurt. I told him to stay and he went anyway!’_

“Kate I’m not hurt!” He knelt down in front of her and undid the buttons of his dress shirt so she could see the skin beneath, “See?” He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest beneath the blood stains on his shirt. He sucked in a breath and having her touch him again.

Her fingers splayed out and ran over the unmarred skin. She leaned forward and brought her other hand up to his face to trace over the other splotches of blood she could see. She drifted her fingers over his cheek, his lips, chin, before moving back to cup his face. Her other hand slid up his chest and over his shoulder to cup the back of his neck. “Niko?” Her eyes refocused on his eyes. She had seen no open wounds, but the blood was confusing her.

“I’m right here, I’m okay.” He placed his hands on her hips, sliding them beneath his suit coat that she still wore. The velvet tickled his hands as they moved over the fabric, and he wished he could dive his hands under her dress and smooth over all the soft skin she had. He looked to her eyes wishing he could simply just remove her panic and doubt that clouded her beautiful blue green eyes. 

“You came back.” She pulled him to her and crashed her lips against his. Her arms encircled his shoulders holding on for dear life. He was okay and was right in front of her. Her soul sang for joy at being able to touch him again, and she hungrily kissed him. She needed him to know what she felt in this moment.

He leaned up to her and lifted her up off the chair so he could wrap her up in a tight hug. He kept kissing her over and over again. It had felt like a lifetime since he was able to hold her, even though it had probably only been a couple of hours. He held her firmly to him, running his hands up and down her back beneath the coat, loving the feel of her bare skin in the cutout of her dress. Their tongues danced together; lips battled to take control. He was losing power over his emotions rapidly. One of his hands drifted down to grab at her dress over her lower back, bunching the fabric in the process.

She broke the kiss and tilted away to be able to see him and catch her breath, “Niko. You’re okay? Really?” She took in large gulps of air, trying to steady the rapid cadence of her heart. She licked her lips still tasting him on them. The passion that always rose to meet him when they kissed hummed through her body, making her core clench tightly. She searched his eyes for answers. They stared back at her with such devotion.

“I am okay now that I am able to hold you again.” He moved his hands back to her hips, setting her on the ground, helping her find her footing. He couldn’t stop himself, and he leaned down and kissed her again. He didn’t want to think anymore. He just wanted to feel. His mind was spent, his body exhausted, and all he wanted to do was take her home, strip them bare, and love her body long into the night. He could feel all the troubled emotions that swirled around inside him settle the longer he held her. He had never felt such powerfully positive emotions before in his life. His mind, heart, soul, body all screamed at him to keep going. To let her heal the wounds that lay deep inside of him. 

He directed his kissing to her neck, he cupped her cheek, moving her hair out of the way, catching the sight of her earrings. He gently thumbed the diamond he had given her, before kissing the side of her face. He trailed kisses down her jaw and neck heading to where he knew she wanted to be kissed. He went straight for the sweet spot and lightly sucked on it.

“ _Niko_ ” She whispered his name and closed her eyes. Her hands fisting into his open shirt, completely forgetting the blood stains and where they were. She was floating on cloud nine and her thoughts kept swirling around his actions. His lips left her skin tingling as they kept moving over her. When he sucked on the spot at the junction of her neck and collarbone, her knees shook. “ _Don’t st-stop Niko.”_ She felt breathless and like she couldn’t voice her thoughts to him properly. A lump formed in her throat as her body shook at the newfound pleasure that was coursing through her veins. 

“Ahem!”

Both jumped startled and turned to the person who had spoken/coughed, wide eyed like caught teenagers.

“While I do not mind the show, I think you two should probably pick that up some place else?” Ron blushed a vivid shade of red and had to fight the smirk that kept tugging at his lips. He had been somewhat of a family friend to Francis’ mother and sister. He had been told to stay clear of the other brothers, and now he knew why. They had rap sheets and priors, and it was astonishing that Francis had gone into law enforcement. He had to fight back the laugh as Kate squeaked at being caught by a police officer. 

“Erh. Right. Thanks Ron.” Niko nodded to the detective that stood outside Packie’s door. He was armed with a rifle and stood at attention. ‘ _How did I forget he was still there?’_

“I’ll be on first watch. I have my brother coming in at first light. We won’t let anything happen to Packie. My cousin, Vincent, he will be at the wedding. He will be watching the back entrance with a couple of FIB guys. Francis has pulled out all the stops. We haven’t heard any chatter to say that the wedding is a target. But when someone attacks a member of the LCPD or their family, we band together.” Ron shifted his weapon to be more comfortable in his arms. He smiled at Kate who was doing her best to bury herself from his line of sight. ‘ _They really do make a cute couple.’_

“Thank you for taking the time to watch out for my brother. It means a lot.” Kate spoke up from Niko’s arms, her embarrassment was at an all-time high.

“It’s no trouble. Stay safe out there. See you around.” Ron nodded to them and looked down the hall wondering where his boss had gone to. The lady had left the ICU room just before Niko and Kate had exited the room, but his boss was nowhere to be seen. He was worried about the injured female. Several IAA agents had rushed into the room and wheeled her out in a wheelchair. One of the agents carried a pair of crutches. The whole thing seemed off to him and he wanted to let Francis know. Even the doctor had protested the quick departure.

“Packie is in good hands. Francis is down the hall on the phone. He should be back in a minute. Take care Ron.” Niko had seen the slightly worried glances from Ron and figured he was looking for his boss. He noticed the ICU room next to Packie’s was open and empty, meaning Karen had either been moved or left. Which he didn’t think she would be able to walk on an injured leg like that. Or should be moving around after losing so much blood.

“Take care.”

Niko turned his attention back to his girlfriend and decided they might as well head home. They were both tired, and he was wanting to get out of his dirty clothing. And her suggestion of a shower that she made at the restaurant floated around in his mind. He shifted his hands back down to her hips and guided her toward the elevators. He had to practically catch her as she fell into his arms.

“Sorry. I’m just tired.” Her hands slid up his chest and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She tucked her face into her favorite spot against his neck, not caring that he had blood speckles on his skin. “Let’s go home, please?” She mumbled the words against his skin, pressing feather light kisses to the flesh that teased her lips. Even though the embarrassment had drowned the initial excitement, a new wave of anticipation was building inside of her.

“Okay. You need to be carried?” His hands firmed on her waist and he forced the groan down in his chest. He wouldn’t mind having her in his arms again. Maybe he could get her to wrap those sexy legs around him again, get his hands under her dress. They had been so distant since getting to the hospital and he was longing for the contact. Their brief kissing session that had been interrupted had only done so much to satisfy his need to hold her. He also wanted to erase the feeling of Karen being in his arms as quickly as he could.

“No I’ll manage.” She was so drained. Her body was tired, her mind was shot, and she could barely keep one coherent thought going. It was a relief to see Packie alive and talking. Having her brother’s speak calmly and civil to one another was a blessing. Then the copious amounts of alcohol she had consumed should have put her on her ass already. The drinks had been steady, free flowing, and the food had been delicious at dinner. She felt like if one more thing took place tonight, she was going to snap and just collapse. The shootout had pushed her too far and it was going to be a long time before she would be able to process everything properly. But then his lips had been on hers again and everything had simply melted away and all she could focus on was the feel of him beneath her hands. The one thing her body seemed to respond to was touch. And she _craved_ it.

Niko shifted his hold on her and partially dragged her toward the elevators. She had closed her eyes and was leaning into him in almost a dead weight. Her feet managed to stay under her, and it helped him guide her to the elevators. She had looked so defeated when she had sat down in the chair and he wished he could do something to help get her mind out of the darkness he saw. He reached the elevators and pressed the down arrow and waited for the doors to open.

“I’m sorry Niko. I’m just so worn out. I’m not sure how much more I can handle. Everything seems like it’s out of control.” She let out a sigh and tried to calm her thoughts, when all she wanted to do was have him kiss her again to make the world quit spinning for a few moments. Every time she was left alone to think, everything would turn to chaos in her mind. She kissed his neck again trying to calm everything down inside.

“I’ve felt this way for the last six months. Everything just keeps happening and no matter how hard I try; I feel like I’m in a losing battle.” The doors opened and he hauled her into the elevator carefully. She was putting more effort into moving and it wasn’t as straining on him to get them inside the elevator. He pressed the main floor button and watched as the doors slid shut.

“I’m sure it’s harder on you at times. I only ever get to see the before and after when my brother’s would go do something stupid. And now? Now I’m seeing everything. The receiving end, the aftermath, the buildup. How have you lived like this?” She forced herself to stand up and move off of him. She needed to see him, and she needed to know that this life wasn’t easy. That it bothered him as much as it was slowly driving her down. That she wasn’t the only one taking the brunt of the events happening around them.

“It’s been difficult. I don’t put much thought into it. Just simply doing what I must to survive. For a long time, there was only one thing in my life that I cared about. This one thing, it drove me, it gave me motivation in everything I did. Now, after everything I have been through, I am not sure that life is so simple. There can be no one thing that gives us purpose.” He looked down to her eyes. He had been so driven to find the one who betrayed his unit. And now that he had found them, Darko, he wasn’t sure why he felt so incomplete. He killed Dimitri. Jimmy was dead. The number of people after him had shrank to one person.

“Life can be simple if you let it. And we have both been through things- terrible things. Bad stuff has happened to people around us, to people we care about, to us even. And somehow, we have pulled through. I can’t lie to you Niko. I thought I was going to die last night. Had even given up hope right before you came through my bedroom door. And maybe it hasn’t fully hit me yet. But you gave me a reason to survive and get back to living. Life can’t just be surviving. There has to be more than just one single thing. It has to have meaning- more than one meaning.” She fixed her gaze on him trying to find the right words to explain what she meant. The words she wanted to utter were on the tip of her tongue. ‘ _Just say it… You are my meaning in life. I love you. I love you Niko.’_

“The one thing that had motivated me, no longer does. That chapter has closed. And you can’t begin to understand what your friendship meant when we first started to hang out. I had become dependent on having the breaks from life with you. It was a chance to just-” He lifted his hand and waved it, unsure of the word he was looking for, not knowing how to word the way his feelings were.

“Live? Be free?” She offered him, letting a small smile spread on her face.

“Yes! Exactly that. I wasn’t some gun for hire, someone to do someone else’s dirty work. Sometimes I do not call my life survival, it is somewhere below that. But that life is ending fast. You gave me the opportunity to change that. You let me try.” He caught the tear before it fell down her cheek.

“If I hadn’t had been attacked. I _was_ going to ask you out on a real date. I was slowly coming to the conclusion that I had enormous feelings for you. And screw your criminal background. It is part of you, and I can’t just love one side of a person. That would make me the biggest hypocrite in this country. I love my brothers, every side of them, not just the side I choose to see or approve of.” She leaned into his hand and nuzzled into it. She fought the tears that wanted to spill down her cheeks. Even if they were happy ones.

“You have given me a new purpose in life Katie McReary.” He leaned forward and stopped just shy of her lips, “Katie. I-”

The elevator doors opened, and Francis stood on the other side out of breath, leaning into the frame of the elevator. He straightened up and tried to even out his breathing. He was pale and had a mild sweat forming on his face. He took in a large gulp of air, “Niko! It’s Bulgarin!”

aaaaaa

The group gathered in Bernard’s private office in the front company United Liberty Paper building. Several agents, including Karen, were leaning into the wall across from the TV. Bernard sat at his desk smoking a cigarette. Kate sat down in one of the chairs at the desk, Niko standing next to her keeping his hand on her shoulder. Francis was in the other chair on the phone with his boss, Chief of Police Mitt Fitzsimmons, his free hand was placed on Kate’s knee in silent support. A FIB suit was also in the room typing out something on his cell phone. Niko met Karen’s gaze before looking away. She looked pale and weak. Her leg was heavily bandaged, her dress not doing much to cover the evidence of what happened. Her upper arm was also wrapped up in crisp white gauze. She kept her weight on her good leg, the crutches tucked under arms. 

Niko couldn’t believe what he was watching on the news. The image just didn’t seem real.

“ _Tragedy struck shortly after takeoff this evening as a private jet, set for a long haul to Moscow, exploded! We have our team looking into the details of the explosion and will release the names once we get them. The accident has caused all other flights to be grounded until it has been determined safe to fly. What we know so far is that the jet had been taxied to the runway before having passengers loaded. At approximately 2200 hours the plane started to burn before exploding over the ocean. Here is the footage we received from standby passengers at Francis International Airport.”_

The TV went from showing the reporter outside the airport, to the grainy footage of an explosion of a jet plane. The image was blurry, and hard to make out any details. It repeated several times before going back to the reporter.

“ _Are you sure it was his plane?”_ Niko asked Bernard. He didn’t trust the other people in the room and wasn’t sure what was and wasn’t known. He figured he would play it safe and speak in a language only the two of them knew. He saw the looks he was getting from the other agents in the room, and he was sure the blood on his shirt was what gave them reason to stay silent.

“ _It was his registered jet. We have ground forces and a NOOSE team searching the harbor for remains.”_ He took a long drag off his cigarette. “Karen, any update from Johnson? They have got to find that wreck fast. We can’t have it on the news.”

“Not yet. Agent Johnson’s team is searching. They left the hospital as soon as they could after depositing the captured in a safehouse for questioning. NOOSE members just arrived with their divers. It’s going to be hard to locate anything in the dark sir.” Karen looked at her cell phone for a new text message but closed it when nothing showed up. She was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches and was paling further under the strain of being upright. Her body trembled with the burden of standing and she leaned back into the wall to try and give her leg a break. 

“Sir, Bulgarin’s place is empty. Judge granted the warrant and it was empty. Suitcases were missing. You were right about him trying to skip town.” An agent walked in giving the update and waited for a response. He placed a copy of the warrant on the desk and took a couple of steps back.

“Get the second unit to go with FIB. Clean the place. Top to Bottom. I want to get every scrap of tech, paper- anything that will help us identify the members of his organization here in LC. Karen oversee the operation.” He dismissed the agent and turned to look at Karen who hadn’t moved. He gave her a look as if asking why she hadn’t moved on his order.

“But sir. The wedding detail and protection. I was supposed to oversee it at 2330 hour. To make sure weapons, locks, and jammers were delivered.” She glanced to Niko and Kate before turning her attention back to her boss.

“I’ll oversee it. Get moving. FIB agent Tim here will give you a ride to Bulgarin’s house. This is a joint investigation. Francis?” Bernard pointed to the FIB suit that was in the room and swiveled in his chair to regard the Deputy Commissioner.

“Yeah?” Francis lowered his cell phone and looked to Bernard.

“Can you get LCPD squad cars to set up a perimeter on Aragon street in Meadow Hills, Dukes? And keep the press from getting close. We do not need the rest of the Albanian faction or Ray’s men finding out. And someone please get me a location on Timur! He is the one known associate of Bulgarin. Everyone out! Go! Now!” Bernard ordered the other agents, FIB agent Tim, and Karen out of his office. Francis stood up and walked out the door to get his men on the move to set up a blockade at Bulgarin’s house. The other people moved quickly out of the room. Karen hobbled with her crutches and exited the office, pulling the door closed behind her.

“First the hospital shoot out, and now this!” Bernard said as he pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit it. “One fucked up night isn’t it?”

“You could say that again.” Kate whispered; her eyes transfixed on the TV. She didn’t know much of what was going on, but something about the plane explosion had Niko and her brother spooked.

“You think he’s really dead?” Niko couldn’t believe it. If Ray was really dead, then his list of known enemies just dropped to zero.

“I sure as hell hope the fucker is dead. But I’m sure his group is going to either retaliate or disappear. And I plan on bringing them all in. Afterall jet planes don’t just explode for no reason.” He looked between the two other people in the room and could see how tired they both looked. Niko looked worse for wear. His shirt was torn, dirty, and a bloody mess. Kate had tear streaks on her cheeks and looked ready to pass out at any given second. Someone knocked at the door causing them all to look at it. “Come in.”

“Sir, FIB just confirmed that Timur is dead. His body is down in Funland, as well as the missing Heroin from the Platypus. It was destroyed mostly. But enough was recovered for us to know it was the missing shipment. There is also a lot of other bodies that need identifying. Pretty big shoot out by the looks of it.” An agent stuck his head in the door, a cell phone up to his ear.

“Get yourself down there and take a couple of the trainees with you. Good learning experience. Let LCPD to bag and tag the bodies. Francis needs this bust in order to get promoted. We need him in charge.” Bernard waved him out. He was getting tired of the constant drug war in Liberty and was really looking forward to moving back to base in Los Santos.

“My brother?” Kate turned away from the TV to look at the man who had offered the good vodka at dinner.

“Yes. McReary is a fine officer and will do great as Commissioner. He also knows how to cooperate and work with his fellow law enforcement agencies. Don’t worry. Your other brother is safe. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. God rest her soul.” Bernard pulled out a bottle of whiskey from his bottom desk drawer and grabbed a couple of glasses from the other drawer. “Drink?”

“Sure.” She felt uneasy around this man. He clearly ranked high up on the chain of command. And she had this suspicion that her brother’s promotion wasn’t going to be a promotion, but another way for the corrupt government to keep tabs on people and keep everyone in line.

“Niko. If Ray is dead, and his bodyguard is dead. Then your list just got a lot shorter my friend.” Bernard poured each of them a healthy shot and passed them out.

“I was just thinking that. But Ray wasn’t the top member of the organization. He just worked the southern route. _His bosses in Moscow ran the main sex trafficking and slave labor organization. I was just muscle to bring people into Italy for Ray’s division in Croatia and Albania. I am unsure what his status is in the grand scheme._ ” Niko accepted the glass and handed Kate hers.

“ _Interpol told us he wasn’t a large fish in Western Europe, Eastern Europe on the other hand... But his pull here in LC is much much larger. When Dimitri offered you up, is when I got involved. He had gotten the Albanian faction, Ancelotti Family, Dimitri’s Russian Mafia, and the Pegorino Family to side with him at some point. The shipment of H that Dimitri was supposed to give to Jimmy, was never going to happen as you know. It was going to go to Ray. And thanks to you and whoever killed the people down in Funland, that huge shipment is no longer our concern._ Our concern is now making sure these people don’t come after you, the McReary’s, your cousin, or any of the other people attending this wedding tomorrow.” He raised his glass to his lips before taking the whole thing. It was interesting how everything was starting to line up.

“The guys at the hospital, are they Ray’s or Dimitri’s? Or could they have been a last hired effort by Pegorino before he was killed?” Niko needed to know. It would help him figure out which group of people might come looking for him still. There were always a few stragglers every time the head would be cut off of an organization before they realigned with some other gang or family. 

“They are in interrogation now. My guess? Dimitri. Ray only wanted you dead. But Dimitri had a hardon for wanting you to suffer. The hell did you do to him that got him so vengeful toward you?” Bernard took a long drag off this cigarette.

“It’s a long story…” He glanced down to Kate who held on to her glass with both hands, her eyes glazing over with confusion. “ _I believe he blames me for unhinging Mikhail Faustin to the point that caused all their efforts to crash. Petrovic’s son. I killed him because of Faustin. Dimitri said the only way to get them from killing everyone else was to be the one to kill Faustin. You know the rest._ ”

“ _Petrovic is not someone to cross Niko. Even I know that.”_ Bernard’s features hardened. One did not mess with the Russian kingpin of Liberty City. He ran everything, and was one person IAA, FIB, and LCPD stayed clear of. No one dared cross Kenny Petrovic or his family. His followers were extremely loyal either out of fear or for owed debts. And he had his suspicions that Kenny more than likely ran all the Russian crime across the country.

“I hate to interrupt. But these people. The one you are concerned died in the plane explosion. Are they the ones who attacked me and killed my Ma?” Kate held her glass but didn’t take the shot. The back and forth in languages gave her the impression that there were things better left unsaid to her. And while it was mildly concerning, part of her didn’t want to know the details. But the more curious side, the one that wanted to know, caused her to speak up.

“We believe that someone who wanted Niko dead, the one on the plane and his associate, sent their men after you. They caught wind that you two were dating.” He held up his hand to stop her protest, “Now before you get upset. Niko did his best to keep you out of the light. I had no idea you were dating each other. How this man knew, we are still working on it. But the same people who attacked you worked for this man we think died on the plane. If that is the case, then there shouldn’t be any more danger coming your way.” Bernard finished and hoped she would have some form of peace knowing that the men who went for her, wouldn’t have others coming.

“So Niko is free?” Kate took a small sip from her glass and glanced up at her boyfriend. None of it was making much sense to her, and she figured Niko would be better at filling in the blanks for her later. She wasn’t sure if she would have the courage to ask him, but a tiny voice in her mind wanted to know why what happened, happened.

“We hope so. But to be cautious. We are all going to be protecting the wedding tomorrow. Wouldn’t want something to happen to Roman and Mallorie, would we?” Bernard poured himself another drink, downing it instantly. This was going to be one long night and the following day was going to prove to be tedious. He was not looking forward to going over Karen’s report from the hospital. He was mad that she was reckless and had gotten injured while on the job. He also didn’t have the energy to go to the safehouse to figure out who the idiots worked for that stormed the hospital. ‘ _So many things, so little time.’_

“Kate. I will keep you safe. Until we know that the people who worked for Ray won’t come after me, there is still some danger. I don’t want to leave you in the dark, but you have to know- I didn’t want to put you in this situation.” Niko placed his full glass down on the desk and knelt at her side, placing his hands on her knees, remaining eye level with her.

“If I may interject?” Bernard poured himself another healthy shot and took a large gulp, “The McReary Irish Mob has been attracting enemies for years. You have been the target of several attempts on your life. Gerry, Packie, and even Francis have done what they can to keep you safe. Jason was one of them. He was hired by the Ancelotti family. They sent him to try and gain info from you, but he happened to be more of a sick individual than everyone thought. He was rather pushy, wasn’t he?”

“More than pushy. He got handsy. Tried to pressure me to let him touch me. I was only 22 when we met. It was shortly after Gerry had gotten divorced for the third time, and after Pa killed himself. He was really nice when we first met. He started working at the coffee shop next door to the community center…” She trailed off as she thought about their first meeting and subsequent ending.

“His plan was to bring you in. Force Gerry to pay for you. And he was to do it by any means necessary. Or at least that’s what his file says.” Bernard pulled out a file from the cabinet next to his desk and placed it down in front of her, “Francis buried the attempted murder charge against Gerry. I don’t know the details. Just that Gerry cornered him one September evening in Meadows Park and beat him to a bloody pulp.” He glanced over at Niko who shook his head trying to get him to stop talking about it.

“Jason asked me to take a walk with him on Labor Day. We were going to meet up for a stroll, have some ice cream or something. I met him and he took my hand and led me around the park. It was a nice evening. The night before he tried to kiss me, and I freaked out. So, I had convinced myself to be okay with it and let him kiss me that night in the park. Except he had other plans. There was a building in the park that housed restrooms, and when we neared it, he pulled me behind them. He shoved me against the brick wall. I hit my head, and he started to try and lift my dress. I fought him off best I could. I managed to run off. I told Gerry and Packie that night what had almost happened. And now I know what happened to him.” Kate looked down to her hands in her lap. She had been so naive. Every man she ever encountered wanted something from her or her family. Niko being the exception, as he was already working for the family.

“Well he is getting reacquainted with your brother as we speak. There were several other attempts on your life that your brother’s managed to foil. So don’t blame Niko for what happened to you. You’ve been wearing a target since the day of your birth. The last name has weight. I suggested talking to your brothers about the events and learning how to watch out for those who might seek to do harm to you.” He felt bad for her, but she needed to know what to watch for. People had been wanting her family gone for years now. And now that Niko was involved, things were bound to get worse. But with Ray gone…

“Nothing is going to happen to you Kate. Not anymore. I will protect you.” Niko turned her face away from Bernard to make her look to him, “You have my word. Once things settle down, you and me? We are going to have our own life to live. Together, okay?” He hoped she would still want to be with him if Ray’s men tried to come after them again. He had this feeling that the wedding, the reception, or maybe a day or two after, things were going to accumulate into an unstoppable storm, bringing death and destruction. One did not just walk away from the life of crime unharmed. 

“Together?” She trailed her fingers over Niko’s cheek. She knew her family was heavily involved in crime. Had been somewhat aware that her brothers were bound to end up like Derrick or Gerry. But she had always assumed since she took no part, she wasn’t going to feel the fallout. She was wrong. So very wrong.

“Together. I’ll take you around the world. We can go see Vinewood. My homeland. Ireland. Wherever you want to go. We can settle down, make roots of our own. Be free.” He cupped her face. The hits just kept coming and he wanted nothing more than to just give her a break.

“I don’t care where we are. So long as you are with me. All I want is you.” She smiled for him and tried to push everything else to the side. She could deal with her family’s crime, the people after them, and the inner turmoil later. Right now, all she wanted to do was lay down in Niko’s bed and fall asleep in him arms.

“That’s my girl.” He kissed her quickly and stood up, “Anything else you need from me? I need to get some sleep before tomorrow.” He faced Bernard hoping they could just get out of there and go back to his place.

“No, you two go get some sleep. I’ll have something for you tomorrow morning at the church. See you tomorrow.” He dismissed them and turned his attention back to the TV screen. Ray’s death had come as a shock. A pleasant one, but nonetheless a shock. “ _The oath will be fulfilled tomorrow and the following days. Be prepared. Good work at the hospital. Karen informed me.”_ He looked to the door when Niko let Kate out ahead of him. “ _Just like the old country, am I right?”_

“ _Just like the old country. Rest up. Tomorrow we defeat the enemy.”_ Niko nodded to him and pulled the door shut behind him.

Kate took his hand and brought it up to her face kissing his knuckles. “I may not know the full details of what’s going on, or what you two talk about. But I trust you to see to my safety. And the safety of Roman and Mallorie. They don’t deserve to have a bloody wedding. And the last thing either of us need, is to have something more piled on. We have too much on our plates.” She pulled him toward to her and threaded her fingers around his tie with her free hand, “Now, why don’t we head home and take that shower?” She tilted her head to the side and gazed at him through half lidded eyes. 

“If that is what you desire?” He placed his hands on her shoulders and slid them down her body to her waist.

“I require the shower, and then some sleep. And if you’re lucky...?” She left the sentence hanging between them and shrugged. She would see where things led them. She had all but had her bubble completely busted when they arrived at his apartment to find Packie almost dead. And she would need to have her confidence rebuilt before she would be ready to pick up where they left off.

“If? I’m already the luckiest guy in this city.” He kissed her gently and pulled away. He wasn’t comfortable being too open with his feelings in this building. It held some rather distasteful memories. “Let’s get out of here and head home. Unless you want me to take you to a different place? I wasn’t sure if you wanted to return to the apartment?” He wasn’t sure where her thoughts were on going back to his place in Middle Park. There was Playboy X’s old place that he could take her to. It was nice, safe, and had plenty of people who would defend him if he asked Dwayne.

“No, your apartment is fine. Plus, the dress I’m wearing tomorrow is there. And that bed is fairly _comfortable_.” She smiled tiredly. Sleep was starting to beckon her, and she wanted to at least make it inside the apartment to shower before completely passing out.

“Okay, then let’s go.” Niko pulled her down the many hallways he knew that would lead him to the elevator to the main lobby. They had pulled up in the back alley as to stay somewhat hidden from the street view. When Francis had told them about Ray, they had all but rushed over to the ULP building. Kate had stayed silent on the ride over and it worried him. Francis had turned his police lights on, and they had raced down to The Triangle.

The main lobby was empty and dark, and he directed her to the side door they had come through when they arrived. Her heels clicked with each of her steps against the highly polished marble floor. He swiftly swept her up in his arms eliciting a small squeak from her. Her arms settling down around his shoulders.

“In a hurry Mr. Bellic?” She teased him adjusting herself to get comfortable in his arms. She was glad to be off her feet. They were killing her after wearing the heels for so long.

“Just felt like holding you.” He shrugged and backed them through the door to the side alley. The nighttime air was cold. The skies were clear, and the wind was harsh when it whipped down the alleyway.

“MmmHmm.” She hummed finding her spot against his neck and collarbone. She loved being in his arms. He didn’t look like he was built or extremely strong, but he was more than capable. And his ability to just pick her up with ease, carry her around, love her body- it all caused her to feel this stirring need build up inside her. She ran her nose up the length of his neck, leaving open mouth kisses as she went. She nibbled on his ear lobe, “I don’t mind being held. Allows me to _touch_ , kiss, and do what I want to you.” Her hand ran up into his short hair, lightly scratching his scalp.

“Kate, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a very _naughty_ girl.” He shifted her in his arms, lifting her up higher and turning her body. The action causing her legs to wrap around his waist. He pressed her body to him loving the way she felt against him. He captured her lips in a searing kiss, exploring her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip. He moved around his car and pushed her back into the passenger side door.

“Like I’ve said. You bring it out of me.” She kissed him back feverishly. Her hands fisting in the back of his dress shirt over his shoulder blades. She tightened her legs around him and moaned at the sensation, “But I’d rather make out with you without getting blood on this dress. Or continually be reminded that someone else’s blood is on your shirt.” She leaned back and gave him a teasing smile. “Honestly, we need to quit meeting like this. Covered in blood, after some disastrous ordeal, being shot at, having deranged people coming after us. It is exhausting.” She huffed but smiled.

“I’ll do better. Next time I won’t have blood on me, deal?” He smirked at her laugh.

“Deal!” She couldn’t help but laugh. Never in her craziest dreams did she ever think she would be scolding Niko about getting blood on his clothes and complaining about it killing the mood for sex. She sobered slightly, “Do I want to know who’s blood it is?” She cupped the side of his face, gently rubbing his scruff.

“Probably not.” He lowered his voice and softened his eyes. He didn’t want to bring up Karen or how she had been shot. And he wasn’t sure how she would take the news of him being the one to carry her up the stairs.

“Now I have to know. Niko, did someone get hurt?” She tried to rack her brain to remember everyone she saw in the hall when he went off into battle. Her brother had stayed behind. Jacob and the other man. And… ‘ _His ex!’_ Her leg and arm were bandaged in the office just moments ago. Realization hit her. “Karen?”

“Yeah. She got in the crossfire. Bullet grazes to her thigh and upper arm. The leg wound was bad. I’m surprised she’s standing at all.” He signed and leaned his head down to her shoulder. _‘Please don’t ask how-’_

“But if it was her arm and leg, how did the blood get on your shirt so heavily. And some of your pants have drops…” His body language was off to her. He never shied away or tried to hide himself from her. “Niko?”

“Kate. She couldn’t walk. She was losing a lot of blood. I carried her up the stairs to an ICU room so she could get medical attention.” He hugged her to him hoping she wouldn’t be weirded out about him being physical with his ex.

“Well you couldn’t leave her to die. That wouldn’t be very nice.” She kept her words short. Something was missing. If all it was, was carrying her, then why did he seem ashamed of something? “Was that it? That’s not bad Niko. She needed help.” She forced him to look up to her.

“That was all. I just felt uncomfortable having her in my arms. You’re the only one I want to hold.” He looked into her eyes. He didn’t like omitting things from her, or lying, or avoiding certain topics, but he loved what they had going. And he wasn’t about to lose it. Lose her.

“Aw. Well you can hold me all you want. But it is freezing out here, and I really want to _scrub_ all of her blood off of you.” Her eyes heated slightly at the idea of getting to shower with him and rub her hands all over his toned muscles. The soap and water making him slick. She licked her lips at the images she was conjuring of them showering together.

“Kate you are going to be the death of me. You better mean those words.” He pressed his lips to hers and bit down on her lower lip. He had seen the lust come and go in her eyes, and every time she would lick or bite her lips, it would heat his own blood.

“Take me home and find out.”

He slid his hand up her leg and under the dress, cupping her ass and giving it a squeeze, “I am going to enjoy this.” He kissed her hard, taking her breath away. “It’s definitely going to be more than a five minute drive home.” He cracked a smile at her and laughed.

“Oh you!” She busted out laughing and slapped his shoulder playfully. “Down boy!” She tugged her legs to get him to set her down. 

He placed her down by the passenger side door. He opened it for her and helped her settle down in the seat. He was feeling light and playful, things he hadn’t felt since he was a child playing in his home village with his friends. He leaned down to her and gave her a smacking kiss. She gladly kissed him back and gave him a brilliant smile. His eyes softened at her and sent her one of his own smiles.

“Get in the car Niko. I’m ready _моја љубав (moja ljubav)_.” She left the meaning up to him. She was ready to go home. She was ready to take a shower. Ready to touch his body, and he touch hers. And ready to share herself with him. For there was only one person she ever felt this way toward. And she loved Niko with everything she was.

“Лепа ( _Lepa)_ tonight, I will show you what those words mean to me.” He leaned out of the car and reached out to close the door.

That’s when he noticed the front storage compartment was open and pushed down to look closed. His nerves chilled with the sight of it. He made eye contact with Kate and signaled for her to stay put. He reached behind him and pulled his gun out. He checked his surroundings, including the rooftops of the alley. He couldn’t see anyone, and he wondered if this was a trap or not.

Niko lowered to the ground and checked for wires or bombs. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary he decided he needed to check the trunk. He felt around the edges for trip wires or pressure plates. Bombs weren’t his forte, but Packie had shown him a few things about IEDs and how to wire a car to blow up. He didn’t feel anything and became curious. Had someone tried to break in? Carefully he lifted the lid to see what was in the storage compartment.

Inside was a matte black combat sniper rifle disassembled. Each part was placed into foam slots and laid out carefully in the trunk. The butt stock had etching in it, the words of “ _They will never hear the thunder_ ” in Serbian were perfectly scrawled long the edge. Two fully loaded .50 caliber magazines sat ready for use. And a note with the boxy scribbled letters of Serbian sat atop it. ‘ _Good hunting._ – _Your contact’_ He couldn’t help the smirk that lifted his lips. How Bernard knew he used to be the squad sniper, he couldn’t fathom, but he was going to enjoy getting to use it against anyone that might dare come across him or his loved ones.

“Niko?” Kate whispered from her seat in the car, her door still opened. She had seen the look of fear cross his eyes as he looked to the front of the car. It amazed her at how perceptive and aware he was of his surroundings. It was just another reminder that she had a long way to go in learning to be careful.

“Sorry. My friend left something in the trunk. Everything is okay.” Niko traced the etched words. They were perfect as the people he planned to gun down would never hear the shot. Their soul would be on to the next world before the ‘thunder’ ever reached their ears.

“The friend in the office?” She leaned out of the car trying to get a better look at what Niko was focused on.

“Yeah.” He stood up and shut the trunk, tucking his gun into the waistband of his dress pants. He’d leave it in there and find a way to bring it in the church tomorrow morning. He didn’t think he would have a need for it, but he’d find a perch and set his sniper nest. “Did you want to get ready with Mallorie tomorrow morning at Bernie’s? Or did you want to get ready at my place? Doesn’t matter to me” He moved over to her open door and leaned into the passenger side space.

“Can I decide in the morning?” She tilted her head at the question.

“Why the morning?” He scrunched his eyebrows together not understanding what would change between now and the morning.

“Well if we manage to be _tired_ from our _activities_ , I may just want to sleep in.” She shrugged and laughed when it dawned on him what she was getting at. “You did say you were up to the challenge. And I’m _craving dessert Niko._ ” She reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him down to meet her lips. She moaned his name against them before placing a kiss to him.

“Dessert coming right up!” He kissed her quickly then moved away to shut the door. He rushed around the side of the car to get into the drivers seat. He plopped down and turned the keys in the ignition causing the car to roar to life. He turned and sent her a smile, pulling his seatbelt around him, and clicking it in.

“Five minute drive?” He revved the car, watching as a huge grin broke out across her face, before turning a touch wicked.

“Pistol?” She held her hand out to him knowing he didn’t like to drive fast if the gun was in his pants. She reached back and did her own belt while she waited for him to hand over the weapon.

He smirked and removed the pistol, flipping it around in his one hand skillfully, and holding out the grip to her. “You only want my pistol? Or did you want the other one too?”

“Oh my God you did not just use one of Roman’s lines!” Kate belly laughed. Full peels of laughter leaving her breathless. She wiped her eyes as a few tears formed from the joyous laughing. “Get me home and I may want to see what the other pistol can do besides _fire_.” She snorted at her remark and took the gun from Niko, placing it down in her lap.

“It does more than just fire. Promise.” He peeled out of the alleyway and took off in the direction of his Middle Park Apartment. 


	6. Do You Have Protection?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that do not like sex scenes, skip pretty much the entire middle of this chapter.  
> You've been warned. :)

Bernard stood on the pier down in Hove Beach. He couldn’t believe the body count that had accumulated in one day. Dead bodies littered the park, evidence of explosions, gun shell casings, discarded magazines, and blood was all he could see everywhere he looked. He couldn’t be sure, but his gut told him it was a single shooter who had managed to take down Timur and his men. He took the last drag off his cigarette before dropping it to the ground to extinguish it.

“Sir, we’ve identified a few of the men. All of them are part of the Bulgarin crime family. It looks like the shootout took place in two separate parts of the park. Then we managed to follow the destruction down the highway to the Francis International Airport. There are people saying a helicopter was firing missiles down on the highway. Just beyond crazy accounts.” An agent approached his boss wearily. He had seen the darkening look and knew things were not okay.

“You get a description from the witnesses about the chopper?” He glanced to his agent before turning and walking toward the carnage. _‘Might as well get this over with’_

“Just that it was shiny and looked like a military chopper.” The agent picked up his pace in order to match his bosses stride, “It was dark outside. So, most of the descriptions are just that they think a military chopper was trying to take out a terrorist.”

“Strange. Any footage from the bridge cameras?” He stopped to observe a bullet riddled body. The park had been closed for some time now, and it was weird seeing his agents walking around taking photos and collecting evidence. LCPD had arrived at the scene a few minutes after they started processing the carnage. 

“Working on that now. We are pulling every traffic cam from here to the airport. I also have my partner talking to the airport security. They say a lone assailant rode a motorcycle onto the airstrip.”

“And the motorcycle?” He knelt down to take a better look at the dead man’s face.

“Mangled beyond repair. A police cruiser ran it over. We have it on the way to FIB headquarters for analysis. My guess is the original owner is not the one who rode it into the airport.” He took a deep breath. He had no answers, and nothing that would help remove the pissed off look his boss was giving him, “We got a manifest of the plane. It was only Bulgarin and three of his men. No pilot. Bulgarin must have been the one trying to fly the plane. Which doesn’t make sense why a perfectly good jet plane blew up.”

“Good work. Go join your partner at the airport. I’ll get the reports from Francis and his men on the shootout. Report back to me before leaving the airport.” He nodded to his agent who took off for the street. He had suspicions on there being another vigilante like Niko running around the city but had absolutely no information to go on. The number of crazier crimes was rising rapidly, and it was making his job harder. How was he to keep citizens safe if there were more people like Niko running around killing everyone in sight?

“Just absolutely wild shit going on huh?” Francis walked up to him and kept his distance. He didn’t know the man who seemed comfortable around Niko. But he knew that anyone who worked for the IAA was not to be trusted. His stand in date had said as much. And typically, friends of Niko’s meant more trouble than he would want to deal with.

“You could say that again. How is your brother doing?” He stood up from the dead body and turned to regard the Deputy Commissioner. When Karen had called him about a shootout at the hospital, he had frantically sent his best team to the site, hoping to be able to capture a few of the shooters. He received bits and pieces from radio chatter, Francis, and Karen on what took place.

“He’s stable and awake. Nerve damage that should go away with time. But…” Francis sighed. He wasn’t entirely sure what this man knew of his family or where he should draw the line of information. Most people knew of the McReary Crime Family. But ever since Pa had offed himself, they had fallen from grace.

“More worried about the recreational habit withdrawal?” He could guess at what would be more pressing. Addiction was a bitch and if he guessed right, Packie was in for one rude detox at the hospital.

“No comment. I am worried about him, Kate… Niko. Someone tried to kill them silently. I don’t like it.” Francis looked around him at all the bodies that littered the amusement park.

“I only know so much. Karen tried to fill me in with what she knows. Care to elaborate?” He was curious to know what caused them to all end up at the hospital.

“Someone sent flowers, a poisoned bottle of champagne, and a note in my handwriting to Niko’s apartment. I saw the note from pictures sent to me from my detective. It’s uncanny how close it is to my own handwriting. But I swear on Ireland I didn’t write that note. I didn’t know where Niko lived before tonight.” Francis turned away from the carnage. He was starting to feel sick and the sight of the bodies wasn’t helping him.

“Strange way to carry out a hit. Effective, but only if the right recipient gets the package. You think Packie was the intended target?” Bernard racked his brain to think of known assassins that were known to carry out their hits that way. A few Russian mafia names floated around his mind, but most of them were dead already, or retired from that line of work.

“No, I know it was intended for Niko and Kate. The note was staged as an apology from me to them. When I spoke to Niko this morning, he had mentioned Ray Bulgarin as someone he was worried about. But he’s probably resting at the bottom of the ocean in pieces. So, my knowledge of people after him stops there. The Ancelotti’s are long time enemies of my family’s. But they don’t strike me as people who attempt this style of murder.”

“You assume correct on that front. I can only think of one group of people, and it’s the one family I personally avoid.” He lowered his voice as he watched a couple of police officers walk by carrying discarded weapons for processing. 

“Petrovic?” Francis felt his stomach knot up at the thought of having the notorious Russian crime family after his own family and Niko.

“Yeah. But as far as I know? They have no reason to come after you or Niko. So back to square one.” Bernard waved to his agents to start wrapping things up. The LCPD could take over from here. “Back to the shooting at hand. I don’t think the shooter was linked to Niko at all. The style of shooting? It’s sloppy, unhinged, almost with an untrained hand.” Bernard turned to look in the direction of where he thought the bullets came from. All the people had been facing one direction before meeting their end, and their bodies had fallen backward. _‘High velocity weapon? Or maybe just a high caliber round…’_

“Shooter? You think one person did all this?” Francis pulled his suit closer around him as the wind blew. It was getting colder outside as the night crept by. He had left his jacket in the car, not expecting to be out here on the dock long. The cooler air from the ocean made it unbearable at night, especially as the months were turning to fall weather and temperatures continued to plummet.

“Yeah. There is only one type of shell casing I’ve been seeing that would make this size hole in someone. The dead men all have AKs. Not the same caliber shell as the ones laying around. My guess is he surprised most of them from the top of those stalls,” He pointed up to a few low buildings that housed carnival games and small shops, “And managed to take most of these guys out.” He turned back to where the kill zone was. The shooter had been smart in finding the higher ground.

“Wow. So, a possible Niko copycat? Maybe a friend?” Francis looked between the buildings and where most of the bodies were sprawled out. It made sense. Good vantage point, wide area to eliminate enemies. But as Francis continued to observe the scene an uneasy feeling began to settle in his stomach. He knew what Niko was capable of, had watched as his brother’s head practically exploded from the sniper round Niko shot. But after reading report after report of Niko’s exploits, he wondered why people kept coming after him. And if the people after him, them, now was just too dumb to realize the disadvantage they were at. Niko wouldn’t let a soul live who was involved with hurting his sister.

“No. This doesn’t seem like a Yardie or Spanish Lords style hit. This is something entirely different. Hard to believe I have yet another psycho running around this town I didn’t know about.” He let out a long sigh. He hated that he had grown somewhat attached to Niko and his friends. He liked to have nothing to tie him back to one area, wanting to be able to pick up and go at a moment’s notice. But now he found himself wanting to keep tabs on Niko, to ensure his safety, and the safety of those around him.

“Well whoever it is, took out some major players. You’d think they’d want recognition for their achievement.” Francis rubbed his hands together to try and warm them.

“No. I’d want this to not be mentioned to anyone. Much the same as Niko not wanting it broadcasted that he killed Dimitri. But everyone knew he was going to kill him. He pushed Niko to his limit.” He rolled his eyes at the thought of someone not knowing Niko was going to finish Dimitri off. After everything that man put him through, it’s a wonder he managed to live this long.

“Yeah, I guess. But now that Dimitri is dead, Bulgarin is dead, not confirmed at least?” He looked to the older man for confirmation. He received a nod to his question, “Then who is still coming after Niko and my family?” Nothing was adding up to him. The major players had all been wiped from the face of the planet. So why still come after Niko if the ones giving the orders were no longer among the living.

“That’s the million dollar question isn’t it?” Bernard shrugged and didn’t offer up much else. He had suspicions about the Petrovic family, but Niko had said that had been settled. Unless people who were extremely loyal to Bulgarin and Dimitri just wanted to exact revenge on their leaders demise. But another thought crossed his mind, “I’m surprised you called our agency with the identities of the men who broke into your mother’s house.”

“When someone attacks your sister like that, you want answers, and you’ll get them at whatever cost. They also killed my Ma. That ain’t okay with me.” Francis narrowed his eyes in warning. The turn of their conversation wasn’t one he wanted to head toward.

“No offense. It shows you are willing to work with fellow agencies to solve crimes and protect the people. Smart move on your part. FIB give you anything beyond the names of the men? We told you about their connection to the sex trafficking ring.”

“FIB and my office have a joint investigation into the number of abducted young women in Broker, Dukes, and Bohan. They get marked for product, then go missing in 24 hours after the mark. We’ve gotten a few leads on who the scouters are. But we haven’t cracked it yet. I called Interpol too. You want in on the deal? Could use the help of the notorious IAA.” Francis didn’t care if this man knew about the investigation. The more help he could get in breaking the case, the better. He shuddered at the thought of his sister being drugged up and forced into prostitution.

“We are working our angle on it. The agent who stood in as your date this evening is the one working it. We’ve been trying to get her marked, so she can infiltrate the ring. But no one is taking the bait yet. Chatter has gone quiet since a few major Russian gangs have been eliminated recently. Rascalov, Bulgarin, and Faustin. Once things settle down, I’m sure the crime will pick back up.” He eyed the Deputy Commissioner carefully. While he liked to keep information close to the chest, Francis was beginning to worm his way into his close circle of law enforcement.

“She’s so young. You think she can handle it?” Francis felt a small twinge of concern bloom for the dark haired woman who had spent the evening flirting with him.

“She’ll be out of the game till her bullet wounds heal. And she’s a hot head. I’ll have to put her back into mental awareness and training again. She shouldn’t have picked a fight with Niko and compromised her stability in a fire fight.” He scoffed and felt his anger rise again. He had berated her for trying to go one on one in a fist fight with Niko. She wasn’t as far along in her training, and she’s lucky that her injuries were only bullet grazes and not broken bones as well. Karen had confessed to the events that led up to the shootout. And in a way he was thankful they had ended up in the stairwell. They would have been unprepared and possibly killed at the hospital if they had simply stayed in the ICU hall.

“Woah woah woah! Picked a fight?!” Francis’ mouth dropped open. This was news to him. He figured their state of disheveled appearance was due to the people shooting at them in the staircase.

“What? Niko didn’t tell you? Karen tried to fight him in the hall. It’s how they ended up in the stairs.” He had to chuckle at the look Francis was sporting.

“And she’s still _alive_?” His eyes widened at the implications. Then the whole situation he walked in on in the ICU room came rushing back to the forefront of his mind. “Wait. They dated, didn’t they?”

“Niko was her mission before the sex ring. She did wonderfully in bringing him into IAA custody.” He shook his head and tried to hide his amusement over the situation. It was humorous watching the swing in emotions from Francis. 

“No wonder they were giving each other looks and kissing. She still has feelings for him. And I’m not so sure Niko is done with her. If you could have seen what I saw at the hospital after he carried her into the ICU room, you’d be questioning a few things.” He crossed his arms and felt the resentment grow once more toward Niko. His sister didn’t deserve to not have Niko’s full attention. ‘ _Or any of his attention for that matter!’_

“So, she still hasn’t given up then? Don’t worry. I’m not going to let her interfere with your sister’s relationship.” He frowned at the new information he was getting. His agent was running wild and he would need her to get back in line or face the consequences.

“Good, I guess. Don’t really care for my sister to be dating him.” He turned to look back toward the ocean. The moon was full and bright and illuminated the area in a blanket of silver light. He fought his inner turmoil over his sister’s choice in Niko. He knew they wouldn’t last, not if Derrick’s death came to light. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer for his brother. He had let his anger go too far and now the blood of his brother was on his hands, more so than Niko’s.

“Niko isn’t all that bad. Just,” He wasn’t sure why he was offering any advice or felt the need to say something. But this tiny part of his soul wanted happiness for the Slav who had stumbled into IAA’s sights. He glanced up to the night sky and saw a shooting star flit across the inky blackness; a small smile graced his lips, “Just let them be. If she can’t handle the bad, she will need her family. And we all know how bad, the bad is.” He looked back to Francis and nodded. He hoped the officer would let them have a shot at happiness but could understand where the man was coming from.

“I’m more concerned about the bad consuming her.” Francis grumbled and shuffled on his feet. The air was chilling him to the bone. His response team was quietly bagging shell casings, weapons, and discarded packets of drugs. It appeared that things were getting wrapped up quickly. 

He had to agree with that point. She was already a target of one attempt on her life, and he was sure more would be heading her way. He smirked at the image of Niko killing anyone and everyone who looked at the young lady wrong. Bernard turned to head back toward the vehicles. He was starting to feel cold and he craved the warmth of his vehicle. “Come on, we can talk in the car. I’ll need you to turn all this in.” He had seen how quickly his own agents left to head back to HQ.

Francis eyed the man from the corner of his eye. ‘ _Don’t most of these high ups want the credit for the take down of the drug lords, kingpins, and overall scum of the city?_ ’ He silently walked alongside the man; whose name was never given to him. “You want me to turn this in?”

“Of course. Fine officer like you could use the boost to make Commissioner.” He didn’t bother looking to the McReary brother. He was going to make him Commissioner if he liked it or not. He was easy to control and would be a good asset to help them continue their operations in liberty. And after tonight, he was going to be seeing a lot more of the Irish family.

“Doesn’t seem right. Seems _fishy_.” Francis put his guard up completely. Sure, he wanted to get that promotion. It was the one thing his mother was proud of, and he longed to honor her memory by moving up. But at the cost he was paying was not the way to do it. Niko had reminded him of that fact daily. Having Goldberg killed, the other blackmailer killed, Derrick killed. So much death had built up and kept him propped up on his seedy thrown. 

“You’d be in charge. With the IAA and FIB at your beck and call. Plus, we’d be able to share information easily. Doesn’t that sound fair?” This time he did turn to regard the Deputy Commissioner. He didn’t think he’d get any push back from Francis on this matter. He figured he’d continue to be the greedy, power hungry man he had been the past few years. ‘ _Perhaps things have changed for him?’_

“Sounds like a lifelong headache of seeing you randomly.” He narrowed his eyes. This was not how he wanted to gain his promotion. And he was tired of the deceit and lies that got him to where he was. Every time Niko dug him out of a hole, he would find himself in a deeper one between one breath and the next. He finally felt free, at peace, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that by having the IAA sink their hooks into him.

“You’re smarter than what others perceive of you.” Bernard chuckled at how skeptical Francis had suddenly become. He could see the cues he had picked up from Niko. The semi threatening attitude, the slanted eyes, the easy stance to be able to draw his weapon. It was like looking at Niko instead of Francis.

“I’m starting to realize that I can’t trust anyone and that it’s better to keep my circle small and exclusive.” Francis stopped short of the blacked out SUV. His internal alarm bells were going off in his head. ‘ _I now see why Niko keeps this man around. He’s too skilled and devious.’_

“It’s good that you kept Niko in your back pocket for so long. Wouldn’t want your _secret_ to get out.” He leaned against the SUV and crossed his arms. He knew who killed Derrick. There wasn’t any proof or evidence to prove it, but deep down he knew who had offed the oldest member of the McReary clan. He dragged his eyes over the now eldest member of the family. If Goldberg’s death at Niko’s hands was any indication on who had put the hit out, he was staring at the man who had his own blood killed. ‘ _Strange. What has changed you?’_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He forced his body to not react in any form. He kept his face stoic, his body ridged, and kept his breathing to a normal level. Even if his heart was racing in his chest, he would give no outward sign that his words had affected him.

“Sure. Sure, you don’t. Nothing a little blackmail doesn’t fix from time to time. Niko is great at cutting the deadweight off and silencing those who need to be kept quiet. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Report this in, and I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.” He opened the back door and paused before getting in. “And wear your bulletproof vest. I have a bad feeling about tomorrow’s festivities.” With that he climbed in the armored SUV and shut the door. The car pulling away from the crime scene.

“Well this sucks ass.” Francis muttered lowly. He kicked some of the dirt on the ground then headed off to find one of his other lead detectives that was working the scene. He would need to warn Niko quickly that there was a possibility that someone else knew about Derrick. ‘ _God this is one fucked up mess!’_

aaaaaa

The drive home was nothing but a blur of city lights, buildings, and vehicles. Niko had pushed the car to its limits weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights, and flying past cop cars. He was only focused on getting back to the apartment. A few people would blare their horns at him when he’d cut them off, but he paid them no mind. Kate was turned in her seat facing him, a mischievous smile plastered to her face. He’d flick his eyes to her occasionally in between intersections.

“You think Tom and Rebecca are going to freak out when they see you?” She mused as he powered through a busy intersection. He looked worse for wear, even if she knew he wasn’t injured, and the blood wasn’t his. She fingered the tie that hung loosely around his neck. Thankfully, there wasn’t much blood on it, compared to the vibrant splotches on the dress shirt.

“Probably. Don’t care though.” He switched gears and sped up as he neared the building. It wouldn’t be anything he wasn’t used to. People tended to fear him when he would enter a building. And right now, the last thing he cared to think about was freaking out Tom and Rebecca over some blood on his shirt.

“Something else more pressing?” She smirked and trailed her fingers over his dress pants, dipping down between his legs, teasing him with how close she would get to his member.

“Definitely more pressing.” He switched gears and grabbed her hand, moving it over him. “I plan on heading straight to the elevator, then getting you out of that dress quickly.” He didn’t want to stop and answer questions. He fully intended to get her into the safety of his apartment, then march them into the bathroom, before stripping her bare and getting his hands on her soft skin.

She cupped him over the pants, slowly rubbing the heel of her hand over him. She could feel how hard he was already and was thrilled with how she could get him to have such reactions. She set a slow, gentle rhythm- being sure to use her nails lightly when she’d get to the tip. “Rebecca is going to be so _jealous_!” Kate snorted at the thought of the receptionist fuming at the sight of them. She was getting excited at the idea of kissing all over Niko as they made their way over to the elevator. She had seen the looks Rebecca would shoot Niko the few times she had been present. And she would make sure the receptionist knew Niko was her man.

“Fuck Kate,” He bucked up toward her hand when she brushed over the tip, “Rebecca just needs to move on. Her and Brucie would be perfect for each other.” He saw the building of his apartment come into view. Most of the police cruisers were gone. The firetruck and ambulance long gone. The crowd had mostly dissipated, save for a few residents that hadn’t been let back up to their apartments. The place looked eerie without all the commotion. 

“Oh, I would love to see the two of them in the same room. It’d be ridiculous.” Kate laughed thinking about the steroid junkie she met at dinner and the snooty receptionist being together. “But let’s not think about them. I’d rather think about hot water, soap suds, and our bodies pressed together.” She leaned over the center console and placed a kiss to his cheek. Her own blood warming under the thoughts that were floating around in her mind.

“I’ll have you so worked up; you won’t be able to think.” He pulled up to his parking spot, putting the car in neutral, and setting the parking brake. He turned to look at her and kissed her lips, cupping her face with one of his hands. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She was always pretty to him- her hair pulled back into its typical bun, camisole under a long sleeve sweater, jeans, and her flats. But done up the way she was tonight? She was breathtaking.

“I don’t want to think, I only want to feel.” The words were whispered against his lips between kisses. She moved her hand up to the waistband of his dress pants and she tugged on them. “Let’s get inside, shall we?” Kate leaned away from his face to look into his eyes. She was ready to take things to the next level. If danger was going to keep coming their way, she was going to cherish every opportunity she could get to be with Niko. The attack on the hospital only made that point more clear to her.

“Ignore the stares that are bound to come our way. Blood, torn clothing, and my presence tends to be off-putting to people.” He glanced out the passenger side window to the building. Tom was inside on one of the lobby chairs talking to a police officer. Rebecca was sitting next to him in another chair, doing her best to keep him calm. There were a few other residents huddled around the elevator waiting for their turn to get to their floor. The doors opened and they filed in, leaving the lobby mostly empty.

“The sight of you will never be off-putting to me. And you looked downright murderous when you entered my bedroom. I had never been more relieved to see you in that moment.” She turned his face back to hers so he would look at her. “Wear the suit jacket and let me do the talking if it comes to it. Okay?” She removed his jacket and held it out for him to take. Her coat was in the small backseat bench.

“You are too kind at times.” He took the jacket back and slipped his arms into the sleeves. It did a decent job at hiding the blood from view. He lowered the sun visor and opened the lighted mirror. He wiped at some of the blood that was visible on his face, hoping that no one freaked out at the sight of him. He normally didn’t care, but for some reason the nagging feeling of looking proper wouldn’t leave him be tonight. Her panic at seeing him covered in blood was the driving force behind his need to appear normal.

“Plus, you need the jacket to be able to hide the pistol.” She held it out to him in the same manner that he had given it to her. “You are going to have to show me one day how to use it properly. Tonight…” She trailed off thinking about what could have happened. She had been unprepared and unskilled at using a weapon. Of course, she never imagined there would be a day where she’d need to defend herself in such a manner. Her brothers were the dangerous ones, not her. 

“Packie mentioned something about taking you out to the docks and showing you how to shoot.” He smirked at the idea. It would be a way to show her his other side, without people trying to kill them. He silently took the pistol and slid it back into its normal spot in his pants.

“Packie would.” She grumbled and pulled her coat on, “He has no strength to be able to fire the gun. And I told him that I would do it if it came down to it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to put that theory to the test. I don’t think I could ever take someone’s life. But I do believe I could defend myself if it came to it.” She paused doing up the buttons on her jacket. Could she hurt someone who was trying to do harm to her or someone she cared about?

“That line of thinking is dangerous. As a boy I had the same thoughts. When the wars came, we went from thoughts of growing up and moving away, to guns, fighting, and dying. I have given you my word that I would protect you at all costs. I don’t want you to have to be put in my shoes. Your hands,” He reached out and took both of hers in his, “They are clean, they should remain so.” He caressed her palms with his thumbs.

“By being with you, does that not put me partially in your shoes?” She watched as he moved his fingers over her hands. Wasn’t the reason she was attacked because she was dating/ not dating him?

“Kate I’m sorry about what happened to you. I didn’t think anyone knew we were spending time together. Dimitri found out. I still don’t know how. And because of me, this happened to you.” He hovered his hand over the bite mark under her dress. He had been fighting the notion that what happened was completely his fault. Packie had warned him not to get close to her. Gerry threatened to kill his family if he messed with his. Francis told him to not get involved. Even Kate told him multiple times they were only friends. He just wanted to have something good in his life.

“I don’t believe it for a second that it is entirely your fault. What happened, happened. And for better or worse, it’s got us to where we are now. I am so happy being with you. And I mean _being_ with you. Not just friends. Not just someone to kill time with. But being together. I’ve been fighting myself for months now to build up the courage to let you properly date me. I was so scared that I’d get a call from Francis one day telling me your body was found in some abandoned warehouse, or I’d keep calling you and you’d never pick up because you were lying in an ally bleeding to death. I held an insurmountable amount of fear of losing you, that I thought it’d be better to never have you. Now that I have you…” Her voice died in her throat.

“Now that I have you, I don’t want to let you go.” Niko finished for her. He brushed her cheeks with the tips of his fingers. “Now that I have you, I can’t imagine what life would be like.” He cupped her face and brought her closer to him. “Now that I have you, I don’t want to know what each day will bring if you aren’t by my side.” He placed a light kiss to her waiting lips. He backed away to be able to see her eyes in the dim light of the car.

“Now that I’m with you, I don’t ever want to leave.” She closed the gap and kissed him hard. The seat belt clicked loudly in the small space of the car as she crawled over the center console to climb into his lap. She did her best to straddle him in the tiny area of the driver seat. She began to attack his lips with a building hunger.

His hands slid beneath her green velvet dress to grab her ass. He moaned at the feel of her soft skin under his hands. “Kate, I don’t think I’d be able to let you leave. It would kill me.” He didn't know what she was about, but damn she had gotten him fully hard in seconds. The way she had practically scrambled over the gearshift to plant herself in his lap had him ready to push her thong to the side and slam her down over himself again and again. She was kissing him aggressively and had moaned into his mouth when he gripped her tightly.

Her hands found their way into the opening of his jacket and were fumbling to try and pull his shirt up away from his waist. She needed to feel his skin, needed to run her fingers over the ridges of his muscles. She could only think about him and didn't care that they were in a semipublic place. Damn it all, she just needed him to touch her! She needed his hands to roam their way over her body, to feed this hunger she had built up for him. She felt insatiable, and only he could give her what she wanted.

“ _Niko_. I want you. I’ve always wanted you.” She whispered the words against his cheek as she kissed her way down to his jaw.

“Katie, I want you. I need you.” Niko found his seatbelt buckle and released it. She lifted away only long enough for the belt to slide back up into the holder. His other hand found the lever for the backrest and pulled it up, making it drop backwards as far as it would go. They both fell back with the seat, and he braced her from falling too hard forward. She ground down on him in the new position and caused him to thrust up against her. His hands settled on her hips and helped move her over him, making sure she dragged over the full length of him.

Kate moaned loudly in the car as she felt how hard he was pressed to her. “Oh Niko…” She placed her hands on either side of his head resting them on his seat to give herself better leverage. Her breath caught in her throat as he shoved her dress up her hips to be able to grab her better. He hooked his thumbs under the strap of her thong, digging his fingers into her soft skin, continuing to guide her hips to help her rock over him. The thin fabric of her thong and the lightness of his dress pants left nothing to her imagination of how he felt. And she _wanted_ him.

She pulled back from him and sat back against his thighs, her hands dragging down his long sleeved button down dress shirt to tuck around the buckle of his belt. He groaned with the touch, his eyes closing in bliss.

“Do you want to take this upstairs?” She murmured the words in the small interior of the car. She felt the desire build higher inside her. Her legs shook in anticipation, her blood was pumping in her veins, and she felt so alive. His words had ignited an inferno inside her and all she wanted to do was succumb to the flames. He had yet to say the words she longed to hear, but everything else that slipped from his lips had quelled that need.

_“You will always be the one.”_ The words echoed in her mind that he had said to her on the rooftop of Jerkov’s. She closed her eyes as she savored the way he had said the words. His accent, his voice, those _eyes_. How had she not seen him before now?

“I wish to make you mine Kate.” He whispered the words and cracked his eyes open to see this peaceful expression flick across her face. He pulled the seat lever and sat up to allow the seat to rise back into driving position. He slid his hands down her thighs then back up to her hips, “Let me take you Kate. Let me show you how much you mean to me.” They were so close to each other and he hovered close her lips.

“Please _Niko._ ” She felt her breath leave her in a rush. His accent had deepened and thickened with his words. Her hands found their way to his shoulders and she slowly slid them back around him, allowing her to hold him. “I need to know what I mean to you. Please show me.” She watched as his eyes darkened, causing a dampness to form in her thong.

Niko reached for the door handle and opened the driver door. Silently he helped her get off of him, pulling her dress back down over her, and assisted her to stand up out of the car. He adjusted himself in his pants before getting out of the low sitting vehicle. He glanced once toward the storage compartment that held the sniper rifle. It would be safe in the car for the evening. With all the police presence on the street, no one would be stupid enough to break in it. The wind gusted down the street causing a small shiver to trail down his spine. He pressed the lock button on the key fob for the Infernus, causing it to honk once.

Kate tucked her hair back behind her ears when the wind rustled it. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Niko. He was incredibly handsome to her, even with the bloodied shirt, the dirt smudges on his face, and the wrinkled dress slacks. He stood tall, defiant, a testament to all those who wished to kill him. And she was proud to stand next to him. Hesitantly she closed the small distance between them and took his hand. It was as if she had broken whatever trance he had been under as he had snapped his attention down to their joined hands.

“Come on Niko. Let’s get inside.” She tugged on their linked hands and started to walk toward the entrance to the apartment building.

He matched her stride and tucked her into his side. He felt uneasy all of a sudden. He never figured he would get to this point with her, as he had been denied by her so many times. Now he was only moments away from getting to be physically intimate with her. The idea of being joined as one excited him, as well as scared him. Would she enjoy it? Would he be able to make her first time the things of dreams? He had never had expectations placed on him when it came to sex- he just did it. But with her he didn’t want to just satisfy his needs and get it over with. He wanted to enjoy every motion, every touch, kiss, brush of their bodies.

Together they entered the building and immediately heard the broken words from Tom, “I’ve told you. The gentleman came out of the elevator, was shaky on his legs, and then just collapsed to the ground. I rushed over and tried to assess the situation. I told Becca to call 911. I attempted to perform CPR. Then the Deputy Commissioner showed up with his partner. The lady helped me with the CPR. I only took one class and never had to do it before. She was better at it.” He looked toward Niko and Kate when they came in his line of sight. He tried to muster a smile for them, but he was so shaken by seeing someone almost die.

“Hey Tom. You doing okay?” Niko could identify the look of seeing death. Florian had looked the same way after watching someone die for the first time. But Packie was alive and well and there was no need for Tom to continue to suffer like he was.

“How is he? Did he make it?” His voice shook with the effort of talking, he immediately stood up from the chair to be able to see them better. He prayed that he did the right thing and was able to help save the young man who was a friend of one of his favorite tenants.

“My brother made it. He is stable, awake, and doing better. Thank you so much for helping save his life. It means a lot to me.” Kate squeezed Niko’s hand before moving over to give Tom a hug. He immediately wrapped his arms around her when she entered his personal space. She could tell he was incredibly shaken by what happened and figured he could do with some form of comfort. After all, from what she had heard, he had started CPR.

“Oh, thank God!” Tom accepted the hug, and squeezed her to him, relieved that the young man was alright. A weight had been lifted off of his chest with the news. “And I need to thank that lady police officer. She immediately went into action and I feel like she’s the real reason he made it till the firetruck showed up. I have no idea how they got here before the EMTs did.” He gave Kate one last firm squeeze before letting go. The hug had been what he needed. He genuinely smiled at her for being so kind. He could almost burst with the news that the man had made it.

“Lady officer?” She tilted her head and looked back to Niko, who only shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah she was the one with your other brother. Deputy Commissioner Francis. Hard to mistake him for anyone else. He’s a huge prominent public figure here in Middle Park. I assumed she was his partner.” He glanced between his tenants and noticed the way the color drained from their faces. He was missing something.

“Karen saved my brother’s life?” She couldn’t believe it and let out a dry laugh. The bitch who told her to stay away from Niko. The lady who had thrown her to the ground. The _agent_ whose blood was on her boyfriend’s shirt had been the one to save Packie’s life? No. There was just no way. “Hard to believe that. She’s Niko’s ex. And pretty much hates my guts for dating him now…” She shook her head disbelievingly not wanting to give her credit for something so good.

“It’s true. The lady rushed in and went to doing mouth to mouth and counting the chest compressions for Tom.” Rebecca chimed in from her spot on the lobby chair, figuring now would be the time to be noticed. She picked at her nails and adjusted herself to pop her chest out more, hoping to catch Niko’s attention. The police officer had closed his notepad and was watching the whole conversation with mild amusement.

“Well then.” Kate clipped her words and turned back to walk into Niko’s waiting arms. It made her feel unsteady knowing Karen had poured life back into Packie before the EMTs got there to get his heart beating again. And she didn’t want to look at Rebecca anymore. Just the sight of her trying to pose on the chair to catch Niko’s attention made her skin crawl. And her eyes had been different than she remembered, they seemed to be colder- as if the hatred in them was stronger than the last time they had seen each other. She fought the shiver that wanted to descend her spine from the look she had received.

“She’s definitely a confusing character.” Niko whispered to Kate as she tucked herself into his chest, her face nuzzling into the crook of his neck. It would make sense that she knew CPR. Being a field agent there was bound to be a moment that she would need to know how to provide aid to others. “Is there anything else you need from Tom, officer? I’m sure he would like to retire for the night.” He glanced to the police officer who stood in the lobby, completely ignoring Rebecca who was silently fuming on the lobby chair.

“Nah I got his statement and the Miss’s here. Francis radioed me a while back saying he was heading back from Hove Beach, and that he will call you to talk to his sister soon. Have a good evening folks! Stay safe.” He picked up a duffle bag from the floor and headed out the door into the chilly night air. It had been an interesting evening and he was ready to write his report and go home.

“I’m glad he’s okay. Was a really scary ordeal. But like you said. I’m ready to head home and get some much needed sleep. I’ll see you two tomorrow morning? Breakfast at Galina’s?” Tom picked up his jacket from the back of the chair he had been sitting in and put it on. He was extremely tired and was looking forward to having a drink at home before passing out.

“It’s possible. Been a long night for us too. We might sleep through breakfast.” Niko offered. He liked the idea of getting breakfast in the morning but would much rather feast on the female who would be lying in bed with him. Plus, they would be hard pressed to get out the door in time for the wedding. He thoroughly planned on loving her body long into the morning hours.

“Alright. Take care. See you two around.” He walked toward the glass front doors and pushed one of them open, “Night Becca. See you in the morning beautiful!” Tom called over his shoulder as he exited the building. With that he headed off into the night to get home to that waiting drink.

A snort echoed in the lobby, “Sleep through breakfast really?” Rebecca rolled her eyes, “Why don’t you just say what you mean? You plan to fuck miss perfect here till daylight. I saw the two of you in the car. Figured you’d last longer than that Niko dear.” She shook her head and stood up from her perch on the edge of the lobby chair. She tugged her dress to make it lay flat, trying to give herself something to distract her from the absolute rage that burned inside. She had felt anger burst to life inside her at the sight of the female crawling into Niko’s lap in his fancy sports car. She set her glare at the red headed female that clung to _her_ man.

Kate flinched at the words, “Oh _please_. Do tell us what _you_ really mean. That your jealous this perfect man plans to fuck me till sunrise, and then again in the shower as we get ready for the day. And who knows! Maybe we’ll do it again in the car in the parking lot of the church before the wedding we are going to tomorrow! After all people hook up at weddings all the time, right?” Kate turned in Niko’s arms to send her own death glare at Rebecca. She felt Niko’s body stiffen at her words under her hands. She hadn’t meant the outburst to be so blatant, but she was so tired of dealing with the way this woman stared at her man. And she was ready to fight her once and for all. She turned fully around in Niko’s arms and made to move toward her before Niko pulled her back into his chest. His arms caged her to him and began a steady stroking of her stomach and rib cage.

He pulled her flush against him. While her words had stirred a few fantasies to life in his mind, he wasn’t about to let her fight his battles. He had dealt with Rebecca for longer than her, and it was time to settle the score once and for all. He nudged her head to the side with his face and started to possessively kiss the side of her neck making sure to keep eye contact with Rebecca. He fisted his hands into the velvet fabric of Kate’s dress when she pressed her butt back into his crotch adding a small grind to her movements. He was getting a little disturbed by the darkening glare that was being sent their way. He had seen that look before and he was having trouble placing where he had seen it before now.

Rebecca’s frown turned into a murderous scowl, “You wouldn’t know how to handle him. And I doubt you do now. My friends tell me the most delicious _secrets_ about you.” She flicked her eyes between the two of them, letting the scowl deepen across her face. She had received the message she had been waiting for and now felt no need to hold back.

She squared her shoulders and stalked toward them making sure to swing her hips. She pointed a perfectly manicure finger toward Kate and stopped a few feet from the couple. She had kept up her ruse for far too long, and now she didn’t care. She sneered at the pretty female wrapped in Niko’s arms, “And my friends don’t like you very much.” She kept her eyes on Kate wishing to intimidate her further.

Rebecca felt a vibrate in her purse and knew her friend would be there soon. She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and decided she’d leave them for the night. She brushed past the couple and headed toward the glass front doors. But she would make sure they knew exactly what she meant by her words before departing.

The sound of a motorcycle roared outside the building, and the sight of the motorcycle from earlier in the day pulled up in front of the building on the sidewalk. The man on the bike had the same blacked out motorcycle getup; SMG on his hip and waved the two finger salute toward them. He revved the engine a couple of times signaling to Rebecca to hurry up.

She paused at the door and glared back at Kate before shifting her eyes to Niko, she pushed her red rimmed glasses back up on her nose, her expression darkening to an evil smirk, “Дмитрий бы с ней повеселился. ( _Dmitri by s ney poveselilsya_ ) _”_ Quickly Rebecca exited the building and hopped on the back of the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around the man. She dropped the smirk and kept her evil glare training on Niko. He would know soon enough. The bike skidded before moving forward away from the building. 

The words in Russian stopped Niko’s heart. Her blue eyes had been so cold as she perfectly stated words like daggers. He let go of Kate and started to charge after her. He pulled his pistol and took aim at the motorcycle as it sped away down the sidewalk before it crossed over into the street. There would be no way to hit them as the motorcycle kept putting distance between them. His car caught his attention and he immediately opened the storage compartment, dropping his pistol down onto one of the foam pieces. Trained hands quickly assembled the rifle- parts clicking into place with a practiced ease. He shoved the magazine into place and slammed the bolt action to load a bullet. He stalked into the middle of the street and took aim with the scope.

The chill that settled over his shoulders was not from the nighttime breeze. His muscles stiffened and he took a deep breath, holding it in to steady his aim. ‘ _Pull the trigger. Pull the trigger. Pull the trigger… End this now…’_ The rush of blood in his ears cancelled out the ambient noise of the city and it dropped him into a deathly silence. His focus sharpened and he took aim at the people who were rapidly moving away from him.

_‘Dimitri would have had fun with her’_ The words sliced through him and he pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back into his shoulder hard causing him to wince, but not drop his sights of them. He shifted his weight and got ready to fire another shot, sliding the bolt action to load the next round. He followed the movements of the bike and fired once more, ignoring the pain that radiated through his shoulder from the force of the gun.

The motorcycle wobbled erratically before turning down a street and getting out of view, her middle finger lifting up to mock him.

The thunder from the rifle reverberated between the buildings causing some of his surroundings to come back into focus. He lowered the rifle and felt his arms shake in anger. She had to have been the one to get the poisoned champagne to his apartment. She had seen him with Kate the morning after she was attacked. She had probably reported back to the guys who stormed the hospital about where Packie was being taken. She had mentioned his assault on the Platypus. And those eyes… Where had he-?

“Fucking Dimitri!” He cursed into the night and pulled out his phone, immediately dialing Bernard.

“ _Niko? This is a rather late call. Figured you’d be in bed.”_ Bernard’s voice seemed lighthearted as he spoke into the phone.

“Rebecca, the receptionist at my apartment building- I believe she is working for the people who attacked Kate and the hospital. I just tried to take her out but missed. She needs to be found now. They were just at the apartment, they headed south on Albany Avenue. They must be trying to get out of Algonquin.” Niko moved back toward his car to collect his pistol.

“ _On it. Stay put and protect Kate. Let me handle this.”_

“No! I am going after her-”

“ _And what? Leave Kate there? Have you even looked at her since trying to kill someone right in front of her? At least I’m assuming she is nearby. Not like you to leave her unprotected.”_

His body stilled and his hands froze on the rifle and cell phone, and his eyes widened at the words. Carefully he turned to look into the apartment building. Kate stood there staring back at him unmoving, the look of panic, shock, and hurt splashed across her features. She had moved to the glass doors and was resting her hands on the metal door handles. “ _Fuck_.”

“ _Exactly. Go do damage control. I’ll give you the address once we have collected her. Though I might wait till after the wedding. Torture doesn’t sit well before celebrations.”_ The line went dead as Bernard hung up the phone.

Niko lowered his phone from his ear. He kept his eyes trained on his girlfriend. He hadn’t even thought about the effects of leaving her when Rebecca had said those words. His only goal was to end Rebecca’s life and to do it swiftly. But to do it in front of Kate? He berated himself vehemently. He briefly contemplated putting the rifle back into his car, but the longer he held her gaze, the more he knew he had messed up. He sighed and dropped his gaze back to the Infernus. He picked up his pistol and put it back to its rightful place before slamming the hood shut.

Kate followed after him and watched as he had rushed out after the woman who had spoken in a language she didn’t understand. Whatever was said caused her boyfriend to tear away from her and take aim with his pistol. Then he had turned toward his car and started assembling a much larger looking weapon. The sight of the gun caused the trembling to start up again. It was large, mean looking, and was a weapon of death. And he looked so _cold_. She couldn’t believe how contained he was stalking out into the street and just firing off down to where she assumed the people had driven off to. Had he no reservations or knew the implications of just shooting someone in cold blood?! The sound of it caused her to nearly jump out of her skin.

Then he had turned her way and pulled out his cell phone. He was not the same man she knew. He was not the person she had wanted to share her body with. This was someone entirely different. And it terrified her. It was like witnessing Gerry beating Francis to a bloody pulp all over again; Watching as her father’s blood and bits of brain splattered across the living room walls; Seeing the man lower his zipper down and pulling out his penis to force her to suck him; Jason’s lewd smirk as he pulled her dress up her body to be able to grab at her underwear. She squeezed her eyes shut and desperately tried to remove the images from her mind. 

“This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t _happening_!” She covered her face with her hands and repeated the words over and over in her mind. Niko wasn’t those people. He was kind, loving, caring, and sweet. Right?! He was gentle and soft with his hands that caressed her. They weren’t the hardened ones she witnessed pulling the trigger. His eyes were compassionate, not the stone set killer ones. His arms were tender when they held her, not the coldhearted ones that held up the gun. She had to check again. She needed to see him to know she was only imagining this cruel persona. She needed her Niko back.

She peaked between her fingers and saw he had his back to her, cradling the rifle and on the phone with someone. He seemed relaxed and more of himself. Slowly she let her hands drop back down to the metal bar handle of the door. It had to have been her imagination. Surely what she had seen was a figment of her imagination. She had conjured all the evil and violence she had witnessed and overlaid that on Niko. He would look to her and it would all be okay again.

Their eyes met, and that’s when she knew things would never be the same. She recognized the heated anger she had seen on his face at Derrick’s funeral. Had briefly seen it when he shot the man who was on top of her. This was part of him and deep down she knew he was capable of doing violent, terrible things. Her hands shook at her sides and she balled them into fists. If she was going to stay with him, she would need to know exactly what he was capable of. Otherwise every time he would get angry or need to defend himself or her, she was going to keep having these panic episodes. But she also needed to know without a doubt that he would never hurt her or the ones she cared about.

The disbelief warred inside of her. What had been said that would have caused him to just run after them? And the bike… ‘ _That bike! He was the man from earlier!’_ Her eyes widen significantly, and she hesitated to open the door. She wasn’t sure if it was safe to just walk out into the street. But a piece of the puzzle had just clicked into place. The guy had been scoping them out in the car, was obviously involved with Rebecca, and was possibly part of the attempt on Packie’s life. She tried to remember the details from the jacket the man wore earlier. There was a patch of some kind, and she could have sworn she had seen it somewhere before.

_A brief flash of a young man sitting across from her at Bean Machine. His soft laughter at one of her lame jokes. The way he took great care of his leather biker jacket, smiling down at one of the few patches on the sleeve. The helmet that sat out of the way on the table._ She snapped out of the memory. ‘ _It couldn’t be. He was so sweet…’_

Kate pushed open the door and walked up to him as he stood by the car. She maintained eye contact, scared that if she looked away, he would turn back into the cold blooded killer who had stalked out into the street. “Niko. The man on the bike. I think I’ve seen him somewhere before. Before earlier in the day. I can’t quite remember. But his jacket. There is a patch on it that looked familiar.”

“You know him?” He adjusted the rifle as he leaned it against his shoulder. That wasn’t what he was expecting. He was fully prepared for a meltdown, a verbal fight, anything but the possibility of her knowing the mystery biker. He figured he had just scared the daylights out of her by rushing out after Rebecca and attempting to kill her.

“I think so. But it’s like I can’t place him. There was a guy I spent some time with back before we met. He was new to town. Had a heavy accent, spoke broken English, but loved motorcycles; Had a jacket and everything. We’d have coffee every day during our breaks from work. He worked at the coffee shop down the street from the community center and took his breaks when I had lunch. We’d sit outside and talk about life…” She looked down the street in the direction that the bike had gone. ‘ _Was it him? Or am I imagining something?’_

“I need to show you something then.” He took her hand and led her back inside the building and toward the elevators. Her description of the man was jogging his own memory about the pictures on the USB he had taken off of Vova Mikhailov. There had been pictures of her having coffee with another man by the community center. He had meant to give the USB drive to Francis, or maybe even Bernard now that he felt he could trust him, but he was glad he still had it.

He pressed the button on the wall for the elevator. Kate had stayed silent allowing him to just move her wherever he went. Something else was bothering her, and he knew they would need to talk about it. He adjusted the heavy rifle against him wishing there had been a strap to be able to carry it easier. The doors opened and he pulled her into the small lift. The music wasn’t playing for once and he was missing the distracting noise. 

Kate silently let him lead her along. She was curious as to what he needed to show her. Her brain was trying to conjure the face of the man she used to hang out with. It was a ritual they had, and then one day, he was gone. She figured Gerry scared him off, like he had scared off every other man who looked her way. But she never told anyone about him. Not her family, not her friends, no one. She let out a frustrated sigh as she was unable to remember his face or his clothes properly. Then the bizarre words that Rebecca had spewed before going out to the bike rang out in her head.

“What did she say?” She kept her tone even and tried desperately to keep her voice from shaking. She looked to Niko who stood next to her as the doors slid shut. Him holding the large gun was scaring her worse than his normal rifle. She kept her eyes trained on him and avoided looking to the matte black rifle that slumped into his opposite shoulder.

“What?” His eyes widened at her question. He was not ready to cross that bridge and open some of his own wounds. He lowered the gun off of him and leaned it into the corner to keep it upright. Niko turned to her and tried to reach out for her.

“What did she say that caused you to want to kill her so bad? You just left me here, unprotected, scared, and alone.” She took a hesitant step back when he tried to close the gap between them and take her into his arms. “Tell me Niko. What did she say?”

“Kate. I’m sorry.” He tried to get close to her only for her to take another step back, hitting the back wall of the elevator. The last thing he wanted to do was tell her what Dimitri’s original plan had been for her. And he sorely wished they could avoid this conversation a little longer.

“Tell me damnit! I have a right to know!” She crossed her arms and held on to her body, leaning heavily into the metal wall of the elevator. He was never this avoidant. He was always so direct in his approach to her, so what was causing him to stray from telling her.

“She said that Dimitri would have had fun with you!” He felt his anger come back to life at the thought of that man laying his hands on his girlfriend. He turned away from her and placed his hands on the opposite wall. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. He didn’t need to explode around her, especially when she was somewhat in a fragile state.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, “I failed in protecting you! I failed at keeping you safe. And because of my continued failures Dimitri wanted to use you to hurt me.” His volume continued to raise with each sentence. He couldn’t stop the images from coming. The video continued to play out before him, the messed up visions of the men pinning her down on the dingey ship, Dimitri forcing him to watch as they broke her again and again. He felt dizzy with the barrage of vile imagery. The doors dinged and slid open to his apartment. He grabbed the rifle and stumbled into his apartment. He dropped the rifle to the surface of the countertop in the kitchen and sank down onto the bar stool burying his face into his hands.

She flinched at the volume of his voice. She was missing parts of the story she was sure. But seeing how defeated and hurt he looked caused her heart to give one giant thump in her chest. He didn’t deserve to be scorned. He looked so lost and broken in this moment and she felt responsible for causing this reaction in him. Her eyes watered with the pain that radiated from him in waves. Silently she approached him and moved his hands from his face, moving into his personal space. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders bringing him into a comforting embrace.

“You haven’t failed Niko. He can’t use me anymore to hurt you. I’m here with you. Safe. You have always kept me safe.” She held on to him tighter knowing this conversation was going to be tough to get through.

He immediately pulled her to him and buried his face in her chest, “Kate I am so sorry. He wanted to hurt you in the worst way possible. I killed him. I killed him right before going over to your house last night. I was never in any real danger. But you were. I should have known he would have gone after you. He went after Roman so many times. But I had been blind because our time together was never more than simply friends spending time together.” His words were muffled against the fabric of her dress over her chest, and he held her tighter expecting her to shove off of him any second. He would take what time he had left with her. 

“I had told everyone at the community center you were my boyfriend. I teased Packie about being your girlfriend and making out with you. I talked to my therapist about you. I talked to my friends in Holland and Broker and Dukes that I was finally seeing someone. No one believed me since I had no photos of you. Then you started to pick me up sometimes from the community center and word spread fast. Virgin of the year going out with one of her thug brother’s friends. You weren’t the one who broadcasted it out there…” She rested her chin on the top of his head and felt the tears slide down her cheeks. “I didn’t know you were in so much trouble.”

“I should have been more honest. But I didn’t want to scare you off. The first time I ever laid eyes on you, I felt something I had never felt before. But Packie had been so adamant about staying away from you. Then Gerry flat out threatened to kill Roman if I messed with your family. I had no hopes of ever being with you. Then one day Packie gives me your number and suggests I take you out. I was in the middle of running jobs for so many different mobs, laying low from Dimitri’s reach, Ray’s reach. And the only thing I could think about was getting to see your beautiful smile.” He leaned away from her to see her eyes. He had admitted to killing someone and she hadn’t even bothered to comment on it. Then again, he shot the man who was on top of her, so maybe it wasn’t a complete shock to her about him killing people.

She placed her hands lightly on the sides of his face feeling the scruff rub against her palms. She gently stroked over his cheekbones trying to memorize every detail of his face. She could see the sorrow that built up behind his eyes. He held so much pain, and she doubted anyone truly knew the depth of his agony. She ran the tip of her finger over the scar that ran through his eyebrow over his eye. She had seen and felt so many scars on his body and each one was another reminder that he had suffered through the wars of his homeland. She had been wrong in her assumption. He was _nothing_ like her brothers. He wasn’t a thug. He wasn’t a deranged killer just doing it for the money. No. He was so much more than that.

Kate’s heart turned over in her chest. The tears came of their own fruition and tumbled down her cheeks. She could almost see a scared little boy hiding from his father as he raged through a drunken stupor looking for someone to take his anger out on. The little boy who watched as his village was overcome by poverty and ravaged by war. The terrified preteen who had just fired a weapon for the first time ending the life of someone he didn’t know, only knowing it was what was expected of him. The lost teenager who lead a group of men through battle after battle. Only to be betrayed by someone they called friend and comrade. Realization after striking revelation crashed down on her. And it tore at her.

In this moment she knew he was nothing like she had believed him to be. He was so much more than what her simple supposition was. He destroyed the measly image she had built up in her mind of being some crazed killer that pulled triggers as a means to get by. He had once dreamed of being somebody, and those dreams were stripped from him. Her vision blurred from the tears that kept building. Her hands slid back to cup his face. She knew he would never hurt her, at least not intentionally. He wanted a life with her, he had called their time ‘normal.’ She couldn’t deny him that any longer.

“Am I really that special to you?” She whispered the words out, scared that if she attempted to speak normally her voice would fail her.

“Kate you are the second chance I don’t deserve.” His words shook with emotion, and he figured this was the most he had ever talked about his own feelings. He preferred to keep everything bottled up inside where it was safe.

“You deserve every chance you get in life Niko. Don’t sell yourself short.” She leaned into him and placed a tender kiss to his lips. So much was happening at once, and the absurdity of it all was hard to grasp. She couldn’t understand how he just kept going when every time he turned around something else would happen. ‘ _Too much for one person to handle… Let me help you carry the burden Niko.’_

Niko settled his hands on her hips as he kissed her back. He was so damn tired and stressed out. It was as if everything since swimming to shore in Italy was catching up to him in one failed swoop. Like a car accident that could have been avoided but happened regardless. His life was completely out of control and he had selfishly dragged Kate into his fucked up mess. He broke the kiss off with that last thought. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t belong with him. He searched her suddenly confused eyes.

“You don’t deserve my fucked up life Kate. You deserve so much more than what I have to offer.” He fisted his hands into her dress over her hip bones.

“Did you not just tell me in the car that you couldn’t imagine what life would be like without me? Don’t imagine it. I am _here_ with _you_. Always you. I choose you Niko.” She tugged him to his feet and pulled on his tie to bring him down to her lips. She put everything into the kiss- her jumbled up feelings over everything that had happened, the sexual tension that wouldn’t leave her body, the pent up frustration over how people kept coming after them, the desperate need to let him know how much she felt for him, the sorrow she felt over knowing how much he was suffering silently, and then- her undying, unyielding, unstoppable love that soared to life inside of her.

He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. He pulled her flush against him, needing the constant reminder that she was still with him. That she would stay no matter how bad things got. He felt his desire build up again and he fought it. He wasn’t sure if she was going to be ready anymore. It was as if life itself was trying to prevent them from being together.

She placed her hands over his that rested on her hips and gently grabbed his wrists. She backed away from him and broke off the heady kissing. She searched his eyes looking for anything negative, but all she saw was a guarded want. His eyebrow lifted as if asking her what she was up to. This was the point in life she didn’t think she would ever get to. Having condemned herself to a life of celibacy. But here stood a man she deemed worthy of having everything she had to offer. She no longer felt weak and out of control of her own body, she felt a confidence build the longer she stared into his caring eyes.

She took a small step back and tugged on his wrists. The movement wasn’t hesitant, it was a beckoning call. Her other foot moved backwards, and she kept moving back, pulling Niko along. She maintained eye contact with him watching for him to disagree with where she was going. They moved down the makeshift hallway, Kate confidently leading them toward the bathroom. Her back bumped into the door and it was as if it broke the spell. Niko moved into her and seared his lips to hers.

He devoured her mouth. He grabbed her hips and jerked her up to him, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. He pressed her to the door, grinding himself over her opening. She moaned into his mouth and he took advantage of her parted lips to delve into her mouth. He wasn’t going to stop. Not this time. Everyone else be damned. She was his and he was going to show her exactly what he had told her.

Her hands tore at his jacket wanting to get it off of him. The fabric slid down his shoulders and he rapidly removed it one arm at a time, discarding it to the floor outside the bathroom door. The softness of the dress shirt was heavenly against her hands as she felt over his toned shoulders and back. His tongue was teasing her with the way he wove it in and out of her mouth. The coil that had been tightly held together since leaving Jerkov’s decided to quake inside her and she let out a breathy moan at the pleasure that shot up her spine. Her back arched off the door as she attempted to rub herself on him.

“ _I’m going to make you scream my name tonight beautiful.”_ He attacked her jaw and neck, sucking on the flesh that teased his sight. He lowered her down against his body so he could rub her the way she wanted, causing her to groan at the contact. “You like that Kate?” He moaned against the junction of her neck and collarbone before lightly biting down and sucking the flesh into his mouth.

“Yes _Niko._ ” She moaned his name and tried to feel for the handle of the bathroom door, to get it open so they could move this into the shower.

He heard her hand fumbling against the metal of the bathroom door and broke away from her to be able to move them into the bathroom. She had said something about a shower earlier. And he planned on claiming her on every surface in this apartment before the night was through. He pulled her body to his and cradled her ass in his hands to be able to carry her into the waiting bathroom and shower. “Open the door Kate.” He started kissing her neck again and worked his hands under her dress to be able to feel the soft skin that lay beneath.

She complied with his command. For there was no other way to explain the tone he used. His voice was lower, his accent thick and heavy, and it caused her to be turned on in the most delicious of ways. She had never been this turned on in her life. And she felt her walls clench in anticipation of what was to come. She pulled the door open and Niko carried her through the threshold, kicking the door open wider in his haste to get them inside. She found the light switch and flicked it on.

He carried her over to the marble counter and carefully sat her down atop of it. He settled himself between her legs and dragged her to the edge of the counter to be able to maintain bodily contact with her. He couldn’t stop running his hands over the tops of her legs and he shoved her dress up them to be able to see the creamy skin of the areas less visible on her. He dragged his gaze over her beautiful body and took his time drinking in the image she made sitting on his bathroom counter.

Kate allowed him to move her around. She felt so delicate, feminine, and aroused when he would handle her. His hands were so impossibly strong and rough, yet they never felt that way to her. Her eyes fluttered closed when he tugged her dress up to be able to touch her thighs. Her back arched at the assault of fire that coursed through her veins every time he would firmly drag his fingers over the inside of her legs. She wrapped her legs around his hips and scooted closer to the edge of the counter, spreading her legs further open for him.

“ _God Kate I can’t wait to be inside you.”_

A throaty moan ripped from her chest at the sound of his native language. She had no clue what he was saying, but the tone, bordering on hostile, caused her legs to shake. His accent was something that had started her wet dreams at night. She would hear his voice in her dreams, and she’d wake to find her hand in her underwear, her other rolling a nipple between her fingers. “Speak to me. Tell me what you want.” 

“You. _Only You_ Kate.” He cupped her face and brought her to his and kissed her hard. He loved the shade of her hair, the vibrancy of it, and the playful curls that tickled his face. He tucked his fingers into the mass and carefully ran his fingers through it, stroking her hair and fanning it out behind her. It was so silky soft against the rough skin of his hands.

“Take me Niko. Make me yours.” Her eyes blinked open at the sensations he was causing by running his hands through her hair. It was heavenly the way he brushed his fingers between the curls as he kissed her lovingly. Her fingers trailed over his chest before closing around his tie. She sat up a little more to be able to get a better grip on it to loosen the knot. She deftly slid the knot down and loosened the tie from his neck to be able to get to the buttons of his dress shirt. Nimbly she undid the top button, lowering her hands as she worked on getting them open.

He felt her working on his tie and buttons. She was going so slow on getting the buttons undone and he wanted to encourage her to move it along. He glided his hands down from her hair to her hips and tugged the cloth up of her dress exposing her black lace thong. He dipped his fingers under the thin fabric that graced her sides and teasingly tugged on it causing her fingers to faulter on his shirt. He nudged her head to the side to be able to kiss her cheek working his way back to her ear, “Tear it Kate. Rip the shirt open.”

She balled her hands into the fabric around the button she was working on when his fingers dipped down into her thong on her hips. Then his husky voice whispered into her ear and she felt a spike of desire spear down in her core. She yanked on the cloth and heard the buttons pop and fly off hitting the floor and counter, making little clanking noises as they bounced around. She lowered her gaze to look at his body. She had stolen glimpses in the dim lighting of the apartment, but this was the first chance she had at getting to see him in the light.

She drank in the sight of the ridges of his chest and felt the heat pool between her legs as she traveled her eyes over the defined muscles of his six pack. Her hands moved of their own accord and traced over the hallow definition between each ab. She briefly wondered what it would be like to run her tongue along those ridges. A flush crept up on her face with the image she made of laying him back on the bed and licking him from his abs down to his member. She tucked her fingers into the waistband of his pants and tugged him closer to her. She looked up to his face and melted under the smoldering stare he sent her way.

“You like what you see?” His deep voice reverberated in his chest and caused the words to sound like a groan.

“ _Yes._ ” She breathlessly uttered the word from her lips. They felt dry suddenly and she licked them to wet them. She tugged her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it. His eyes were on fire with his desire for her and she hoped she was giving him the same look. He was cut, not to the point of looking like a steroid user, but he was built. And he was all hers. Her hands released his pants and tugged at the torn shirt to be able to slide it off his arms. She had only seen a glimpse of his skin, and she wanted to see it all.

He moved back slightly to be able to pull the tattered remains of his dress shirt from his body. He no longer cared to be clothed around her and chucked the shirt back toward the closet door. ‘ _Another ruined dress shirt. Oh well’_ He watched as the cloth hit the wall and floated down to the floor. He only shrugged before undoing the tie and dropping it to the floor, turning his attention back to the female on the bathroom counter.

When he moved back, she took the opportunity to reach down and undo the straps on her heels. Her feet were starting to throb at having worn them for so long. She had gotten the first one undone before his hands closed down over hers. She looked up to meet his gaze as he knelt down to be level with the counter. She figured he had a pretty clear view of her thong and felt her face flame greatly.

“Let me.” He moved her hands away from her heel and removed the shoe from her foot before working on the other one. He placed them out of the way and turned back to her slender legs. He took one of her ankles in his hand and started kissing her leg, moving his way up the soft skin. He placed kiss after kiss along the inside of her leg, using his other hand to caress the opposite leg, lightly massaging it. He straightened up as he reached her knee, guiding his other hand up over the top of her other knee. He ran the length of her leg he was kissing with his hand and held her knees gently. He glanced up to her face to see if she would protest what he was doing.

Her eyes had deepened to a darker shade of green and she chewed on her bottom lip harshly. He could see the flush of her cheeks and smirked. He slowly moved her knees further apart, opening her legs for him. He turned his attention back to her leg and placed a kiss just above her knee. He felt the shiver as it shook her legs. He placed another kiss to the spot and continued his trek up her leg, switching over to the other one when he got about halfway up her inner thigh.

Niko glided his hands along the outside of her thighs keeping up a smooth caress of her skin, relishing in the goosebumps that rose at his touch. He sucked at her skin as he kept moving up her legs. She moaned every time he would drag his hands firmly on her or when he would squeeze down on the tender flesh. He reached the bruises on the tops of her thighs from where the man had been resting his knees. Gently he placed a kiss to each bruise in apology for allowing them to happen.

The sight of the bruise was a small reminder that she was still hurting, and he would need to be more careful in his endeavors. She hadn’t complained about the pain, but he knew she was hiding it from him. He couldn’t understand why, maybe she thought he would back away if she complained about it? He glanced up to her face and saw the same thoughts flicker across her features.

She could see the questions coming before Niko could ask them, and the last thing she wanted right now was for the moment to be ruined. “Don’t stop. You make me feel so good. Make me feel better _Niko_.” She tucked her leg over one of his shoulders and nudged him closer to her. It was probably the most bold thing she had ever done in her life. She didn’t like to think of herself as someone to take charge and command people. But he had stopped his actions and she didn’t want him to stop.

“Have it your way Kate.” He reached up and dragged her hips forward and pressed his lips to her thong. He greedily sucked in her smell and moaned at her scent. He used his hands to spread her thighs open, squeezing down on the smooth flesh and kneading it to loosen up her muscles. He ran his tongue along the edge of her thong and smirked when she moaned his name in the small space of the bathroom. Her hands landed on the top of his head and began to lightly scratch through his short hair. He kissed, licked, and sucked everywhere around her underwear, teasing her with the nearness, but never once coming close to where he knew she wanted him to touch her.

She had never felt anything like this in her entire life. Her body quaked with the waves of pleasure that kept surging through her. His mouth was warm, his tongue wet, and his fingers firm as he worked her up. Then she felt what she had been longing for. The faintest of brushes from one of his fingers as he traced over her slit. Her eyes snapped closed and she let out a groan when he went back to kissing along her thigh. “ _Please Niko.”_ She begged as he kept avoiding the one place she craved him to touch her with his hands… and mouth. She bit her lip hard at the thought of his mouth on her in such a way.

“Say it again.” He jerked her hips forward an inch and kept her balanced on the edge with his hands. He wanted her to beg him to do what she wanted. He loved hearing his name the way she said it. And he planned on getting her to say it over and over again. He trailed his tongue along the lining of her thong before placing a kiss to the top of it.

“Please Niko. _Niko_ please. I want you to touch me.” She moaned his name and pleaded with him to just touch her. He had stilled his movements and when he scooted her almost off the edge of the counter, she had to reach behind her to steady her balance, shifting her weight to her hands. She opened her eyes to see him in such an intimate position. He was nestled between her thighs, his eyes molten brown, and a devilish smirk plaster to his lips. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “Do what you want to me _Niko._ ” She kept her eyes trained on his and felt another wave crash down on her when his smirk deepened and took on a wicked flair.

“You are much too clothed for what I want to do Лепа ( _Lepa)_ _.”_

He saw her drop her head back on a silent sigh and thump it on the mirror on the wall, causing her to wince before crying out in pain as her full weight was pressed down on her hands, causing her wrists to tremble. “Kate!” Niko stood up and pulled her upright, immediately taking her hands into his and moving her sleeves to check her wrists.

“I was doing my best to ignore it, but it was too much pressure.” She dropped her head down to rest on his shoulder feeling embarrassed about ruining probably the hottest thing she had never seen Niko do. She sighed and tried to push back the throbbing pain that radiated from her wrists.

He encircled her with his arms and rubbed her back soothingly, “Are you okay?”

“Was beyond okay before my wrists decided to remind me of the handcuffs that had been on them… I’m sorry. I just killed the whole mood.” She rubbed her wrist that was hurting worse than the other one trying to calm down the burning sensation of her skin. She blocked out the memories that tried to crawl back into the forefront of her mind.

“Only killed if you let it die.” He lifted her face back to his and kissed her softly. “I can start the shower if you want?” He gave her the small smile he reserved for her.

“Please. You do still have blood on your chest, and it’ll give me an excuse to see you naked.” She smiled and giggled at the way his smile turned back into a smirk.

“I’m not the only one going to be naked.” He chuckled and turned to get the shower going. He opened the glass door and turned the knob to hot, wanting to warm up the room before they got in the shower. He noticed they needed more towels and moved back to the closet to get a couple more out for them to use.

Kate watched him move around the bathroom and hopped down from the counter. As soon as he entered the closet, she yanked the zipper down on her dress and pulled the fabric over her head. She dropped it to the floor and removed her necklace, carefully placing it down on the counter. Next came her earrings as she placed them down next to her necklace. They sparkled in the bright light of the bathroom and caused her to smile. They were absolutely gorgeous.

“You are one incredibly sexy woman Kate.” Niko paused in the opening of the closet as he got an eyeful of bare flesh. Her breasts were cupped in a matching black lace bra, and it caused his mouth to water. He wanted to bury his face between her mounds and lavish her breasts with his mouth. Her eyes lifted from her jewelry to meet his and she smirked at him. That smirk made his needs weak.

“Now who is the one who has too much clothing on?” She turned her back to him and moved her hands to the clasp of her bra, deftly plucking it open. She let the straps fall from her shoulders and took her time removing her bra. She dropped the garment to the counter and shot him a sultry smile over her shoulder before moving her hands down her sides and tucked her thumbs into the thin strap of her thong. Shuffling her hips side to side she worked to slowly remove her underwear. She inched it down her hips before letting it drop to the floor.

Niko sucked in a breath at seeing all of her naked flesh. His eyes couldn’t make up their mind on where he wanted to look. He was hard almost instantaneously as her thong hit the tile floor. He discovered she had small dimples that rested above the rounding of her butt, and he felt such an urge to go over and place kiss after to kiss to them.

She looked over her shoulder to him, and felt a smirk pull at her lips. Lifting one arm to cover her breasts, and the other moving to cover her bare nether regions, she turned and walked past him into the shower. Once she was under the spray of the water she partially turned and raked her eyes over him, “You are much too clothed for my liking, and for what I want to do to you.” She reached out and closed the door to the shower to keep the warm air in the smaller space.

Niko made quick work of his belt, dress pants, shoes, socks, and boxers. He placed his pistol down on the edge of the counter, wanting to keep it within reach, in case someone was stupid enough to interrupt them. His blood was pumping away in his veins, and he couldn’t wait to run his hands all over her. She was facing the shower wall running her hands through her damp hair, giving him the privacy to get undressed. He kicked his clothes toward the cabinets, hearing his phone make a thud against the wood cabinet door. He jerked the shower door opened and entered in after her, pulling the shower door closed behind him.

Her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of getting to see him naked. She was curious as what he would look like. He had felt thick and long when he had rubbed against her earlier. From what she remembered from touching him earlier, he was every bit of what she had dreamed about at night. And she wondered if, or really how, it was going to feel once inside her. She heard him close the door and tried her best to relax. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, and he would lead her through all this.

Niko placed his hands on her hips, and pulled her back into him, his hands sliding around to her stomach. Her skin was slick with the water and he felt himself throb against her butt. He felt her hands splay across his thigh muscles and grip onto them slightly. She leaned more fully into him at his touch, her head rolling to the side to give him the ability to lower his to her shoulder. He placed a couple of kisses to the top of her shoulder. He wanted to move his hands higher, but she felt tense under his hands.

“If I do something you don’t like or don’t want, stop me. I will stop.” He had spoken softly against her skin, wanting her to know if she started to get uncomfortable, he would stop. They had done more than he thought she would have been okay with earlier on the bed. And she had repeated several times that she was ready to him. And he was beyond ready to be with her.

As if the words were permission, he felt her move her arms and hands out from under him and slide along his at her stomach. She cupped the back of his hands and guided them up her ribs to the underside of her breasts. She had shuddered beneath his hands, felt her legs shake slightly against him, and he heard her suck in a breath. She turned her face toward his wanting to see him. He watched as her eyes fluttered open, could see raw emotion floating around her blue-green irises. She lowered her gaze to his lips and licked her own. He closed the space between them and kissed her sensually.

One of her hands lifted away from his and hooked up around his head and brought his face closer to hers to deepen the kiss. She gladly opened for him when he licked along her lips seeking access. He kept his hands glued to just under her breasts, his thumbs tracing the underside of the delicately soft skin. Her other hand was lightly tracing his hand under her left breast.

Niko broke the kiss needing to breath, his heart was pounding away in his chest, the water was hot on his skin and he had to focus on not just turning her around, lifting her up, and slamming her down over him. He searched her face for any signs of distress or hesitancy.

“Niko please,” She turned in their embrace, looped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself flush against him. “I need you to touch me. I need to feel you touch me; I don’t want to remember what their hands felt like. I want to know and think about how your hands feel on me. To block out the memory. I want-” she stopped talking, not trusting herself to say the right things. She knew it might come off as selfish. But she needed to have something else to dwell on. To overtake the bad, with something so _good_.

He had felt every single inch of her skin when she turned around and the utter smoothness that he felt pressed up against his member was intoxicating. He could feel her nipples had pebbled and was enjoying the way they slightly moved every time she breathed. His hands had settled on her waist when she turned out of instinct. The tips of his fingers felt for the small dimples on her lower back and kept sliding them over the indentions. Her words reached him through the heavy fog that settled into his mind.

“I will touch you wherever you want to be touched Лепа ( _Lepa)_.” He dragged his hands up her back and down again. He shook with the amount of pleasure it brought him to touch all her skin, the water making her slick and made it easy to roam his hands where he wanted to go. Her hands pulled his face down to hers and he captured her lips in a searing kiss. He couldn’t stop the moan that vibrated in his chest.

Kate was feeling buzzed. Her body hummed everywhere his hands dragged across her. His mouth was on hers and causing her knees to weaken beneath her. Her hands balled into fits trying to find purchase to grab onto him. She was hyperaware of where his hands roamed. He made a pattern of up and down her back, toward her sides, sliding down to roll them over her hips, it was as if he had no idea where to go to next. Sliding her shaky hands down his body to grab his, she forced them back up to her chest.

His thumbs slid underneath the mounds and he cupped them lightly. He hesitated only a second, allowing himself to look at her gorgeous eyes, asking for permission one final last time. He wasn’t sure how much control he was going to have going forward, but he would do his best. Her hands settled on his wrists lightly, and he could feel them tremble. Leaning forward he kissed her again wanting to give her something to focus on. Finally, he allowed himself to brush the pads of his thumbs over her stiff peaks. He took advantage of the gasp and teased her tongue with his.

She moaned at the attention he gave to her breasts. He tweaked her nipples, rolled them between his fingers, gently massaged them. Her eyes closed as her body built up her desire once more. It was like the ocean tide, crashing down on her before pulling back, and then smashing back down on her. Her nerves tingled beneath her skin causing a rose hue to develop. “That feels so good…” Her voice trailed off as he moved to kiss her neck again.

He backed her into the shower wall, reaching up and turning the shower head to keep the hot water on them. His hands moved easily over her wet skin and he felt himself throb against her stomach. The water was slowly revealing the bruises on her skin that Mallorie had worked hard on covering with makeup. The thin slice mark across her collarbone caught his attention and he traced over it with one of his fingers. He moved his other hand to the bandage that was slowly becoming soaked under the spray of water from the shower. He glanced to her eyes to see a small nod from her before he removed the bandage. The bite mark still looked horrific, but the puncture wounds had closed. He dropped the bandage on the stone bench out of the way.

“I know. It looks ugly.” She felt so dejected. She felt like every time he would look at her, all he would see was the bruises, cut marks, and the bite mark. She turned her face away from him and bit her tongue to keep the tears from showing.

“You are not ugly. Kate, I do not care what you look like, you are mine, and bruises or not, I want nothing more than to run my hands over you and feel you beneath them. I’ve told you before Лепа ( _Lepa)_ , I just want you. I don’t see the marks, only you.” He turned her face back to him and kissed her softly, “Trust that what you feel,” He took her hand and wrapped it around him, closing his hand around hers, “is me wanting you.”

She jolted at holding him in her hand and gave him a gentle squeeze feeling how firm he was. He guided her movements over her hand with his own, showing her how he liked to be touched. He leaned down and kissed over the blood bruises on her neck. He caressed her stomach with his free hand and turned it to be able to cup her. “Let me show you how beautiful you are to me.” He murmured the words against her wet skin of her neck. He released her hand that was firmly wrapped around him and pushed her leg open, helping guide her to rest her foot up on the stone bench in the shower. She was open for him in this position and he flexed in her hand causing her to stroke him.

“Show me _Niko_.” She leaned into the cool tiled wall of the shower, letting the water run down her body, and adjusted her foot to stand more comfortably. If he was truly this turned on by her then she needed to let go of how she felt she looked like. The flexing appendage in her hand was testament enough that he found her attractive and she lovingly ran her hand over him building a steady rhythm of down the shaft and back up over the head, like he had shown her. His hand that had cupped her changed to his dominate one and he slowly slid his middle finger between her folds. “ _Oh my God_ …” She moaned at the feel of his finger inside of her.

“ _Already so wet beautiful. Come for me.”_ He forgot to speak English as he slid his finger in and out of her. He played with her breast with his other hand and attacked her sweet spot at the junction of her neck with his mouth. He added a second finger wanting to feel her squeeze him when she came undone. Her moan at the addition only made him echo it. Her hand on him was building him up quickly, she was good at taking up instruction and was adding on to it, by changing the angle and lightly using her nails when she would circle the head.

“Fa-faster Niko. I need more.” She used her other hand to reach down and circle her clit. She felt the coil twisting tightly inside her, ready to burst, she was so close. He added another finger and pumped in and out of her quickly. Her mind was fuzzy, and it was keeping any rational thought at bay. All she could do was feel, and the sensations coursing through her ignited the inferno inside. She tugged at him harder and removed her hand from her clit to pull at his waist, wanting to feel him pressed against her. She guided him to her entrance wanting to know what it would feel like to have him rub against her entrance.

Something snapped inside of him when she guided him to her. He removed his fingers from her, smirking at the whine that tore from her throat, and slid both of his hands to her legs, lifting her off the shower floor. He used the wall for leverage, keeping her foot firmly planted on the bench, and hooked her other leg over his arm. He cradled her against his body and used his other hand to rub his head against her entrance. “This what you want to feel?” At this angle he had to look down into her eyes, wanting to make sure she was okay, or perhaps, ready for this step.

“ _Please Niko!_ ” She pleaded with him to rub at her again. The soft skin of his member when it brushed along her slit caused her insides to squeeze painfully. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she tugged at him again to be closer. She kissed along his collarbone, chest, wherever she could reach trying to get him to move.

“ _Mine. You are all mine.”_ He rubbed her along the length of him, coating himself in her juices and water from the shower. His knees shook at the sensation. It had been so long since he had felt the warmth of a woman, and Kate was above and beyond anything he could remember from his previous sexual experiences. He stroked along her entrance, teasing her by dragging his head over her entrance, not daring to enter her yet. He knew she wasn’t fully ready for his girth, but he would get her to go over him before moving them to the bed. She deserved to have her first time as pain free as he could get it.

“Niko! Please. Don’t tease me. I want to go. Make me go.” She was growing frustrated with the way he would push against her, but not go hard enough to enter her, only to back away and slide along her folds.

“You want to go Katie? You want me?” He sucked on the skin of her neck, working his way back to her beautiful face, kissing her lips, continuing his slow torture of grinding her against him.

“Yes Niko! More! Give me more!” She bucked her hips against him, now realizing she could move of her own ability.

“Then you have me.” He angled her hips and slowly pushed against her entrance letting the head slip in. He rocked her gently against him only allowing the tip to dip just past her entrance. He didn’t want to go all the way just yet, but he would give her a taste of what was to come. Her nails dug into his skin when he felt the tip enter her. She was impossibly tight, and he let out a low moan at the feel of her walls on him.

“Oooohh Niko. God. That feels so good.” Her body was on fire. Nerve endings she didn’t know existed were coming to life inside her and it was making her see stars behind her eyelids when she closed her eyes. Her hands shook against him at the way her body jolted every time the he would slide in her. She tried to join him in his rocking movements, but all he did was press her harder into the wall stilling her movements.

“No. I’m going to send you over the edge. Let me make you feel good.” Niko’s voice was hoarse, and it tremored in his chest. He was slowly losing control to not just dive fully in and pound her till they both finished. He shifted her in his grasp, hooking her leg higher in his arm, using his free hand to reach between them to rub at her clit like he had seen her do. “Like this Kate?” He leaned his face back to watch her eyes. He was going to watch as she came apart in his arms.

“Ye-yes. Don’t stop.” She stuttered at the look he gave her. His fingers were so talented, and definitely did more than pull triggers, and balled into fists in anger. The coil tightened to an impossible level and she jerked her body from the wall trying to get him to start rocking into her with more force. Her leg was getting tired having to support her weight and it shook at the pressure put on it. She slid her hand down to his and brushed it aside. “Let me, hold me in your arms, allow me to come.”

He hooked her other leg over his arm and picked her up. He used the new position to open her wider and pushed just a little bit further into her, letting the head dive fully into her. He moaned as her walls clamped down on him with the intrusion. He quickened his pace from the soft rocking, to a gently thrusting. He would reach his climax if he kept this pace up, and by the feel of her, she was so close.

“Wrap your legs around me Kate.” He helped move her on him to be able to free his arms from under her legs. Using the wall to keep her where he wanted her, he quickened his upward thrusting, letting himself enter her just a little bit more. “Come for me Kate. Let me feel you as you go. I’ll catch you.” He crashed his lips against hers and devoured her mouth, battling her tongue for dominance. He felt the tightness form in his sack and knew he didn’t have much longer.

Her arms and legs held on to him tightly. His words raked down her body and caused the proverbial cup to overfill inside. She threw her head back and let out a long moan of his name, as her insides clamped down over him and felt another toe curling orgasm crash over her. Her body shook with the intensity of this orgasm, more so than the last one he had given her. She hung on to him for dear life as her body kept quaking at the pleasure that coursed in her veins.

He pulled out at the last second and went against the wall. They hadn’t talked about that yet, and while he knew she was on birth control, he hadn’t seen her take a pill. He rested his head in the crook of her neck and placed a couple of lazy kisses to her skin. He felt her tremble in his arms and he gently lowered her to be able to stand up. Their eyes met and the words just tumbled out at once. He couldn’t stop them even if he tried.

“Волим те (Volim te)”

The way he was looking into her eyes with such a softness, she could almost guess at what he had said. But until she could speak his language or get one of those translation apps on a new cell phone, he would need to tell her the English version of his words. She found her footing and pressed herself to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. She smiled up to him and felt the tears prick the corners of her eyes. “Niko, while I could spend hours a day listening to you speak your beautiful language, I only know like three words. Those ones are new to me.”

“They are foreign to me too.” He brushed some of the wet hair from her face, the bruise was visible again on her face and he lightly brushed his knuckle over it, “One day, I will tell you what they mean. But for now. Let’s get cleaned up.” He gazed back to her eyes. He hadn’t meant to say such declarations to her just yet. But the way he was feeling was hard to deny. He wanted to say the words to her when they weren’t caught up in a passion filled moment. He wanted to be clear headed, steady, and able to express himself with his words, and not just his body.

“I won’t press. But if my guess is correct. _Vo-li-m te_. I say that right?” She attempted to repeat his words back to him. It felt weird rolling off her tongue, but she would get Bernie to help her work on her Serbian so she could say things to him as a surprise. Her eyes brightened as he chuckled at her attempt.

“Close enough.” He smiled and shook his head. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve such an angel, but he would thank God tomorrow at the church for letting him have her in his life. He reached over and grabbed the bottle of his shampoo, squeezing a dollop into his hands and placing the bottle back down on the bench. He worked it into a lather and started to scrub his short hair.

Kate took from his cues and went to work on washing her hair and body. They showered in silence and for once it didn’t feel like an awkward silence. But there was one nagging thought that kept tugging at her brain. “Hey Niko?” She waited for his non comital sound before continuing. “So. Um. Did you know? Did you uh. _Comeinsideme?_ ” She rushed the last of her sentence and felt her face turn a lovely shade of red.

He had to pause in washing himself off to try and decipher her words. Once they clicked into place, he felt his grip loosen on the soap he was holding. “Um. No. I guess we should have discussed it?” He turned to look at her and smirked at the vibrant blush that coated her cheeks.

“As I said before. I’m on birth control. And uh.” She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath to steady herself, “If you know. You _wanted_ to. You know. _Go_. Um. I have the implant. It’s the most effective thing I could find and would help me hide it from my family.” Her whole body was turning a humorous shade of pink in her embarrassment. She lifted one of her arms and pointed to a small incision scar on her upper arm. “Five years’ worth of birth control, then I go back and get a new one. Was the only way to keep my mom from knowing, and my brothers from finding random pills in the house.” She lowered her arm and went back to rubbing soap on her skin with the washcloth.

This time the soap did slip from his hands as she had pretty much given him permission to finish inside her. He had never once done that. With a condom sure. Michelle- _Karen_ had plenty of them for some reason. But to be able to feel her go, with nothing to dull the sensation, caused his erection to form again. He bent down and picked up the soap to finish cleaning off Karen’s blood from him and whatever other dirt he had picked up battling through the hospital. The thought of getting to completion and pressing himself deep inside of her heated his blood, and he finished cleaning himself quickly.

Kate tried to work down her embarrassment and wash off all the makeup from her skin. Mallorie had done such an excellent job, and she was going to be asking Niko to take her over to Bernie’s to get ready. She felt like her old self when she looked in the mirror and didn’t see the bruises or cuts. It was how she wanted to look standing next to Niko at his cousin’s wedding. She wanted him to be proud to have her on his arm. And the dress was going to hug her in all the right places, and she couldn’t wait to feel confident and sexy. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized she had started to scrub at her bitemark.

Niko watched the far off look take over her features and the intensity at which she rubbed the washcloth against her bite mark made him wince. He closed the distance and placed his hand over hers to still her movements. She jumped in his arms and shot her wide eyes to his. “Kate. There is no need to scrub so hard. He will never be able to mark your skin again. Only I’m allowed to leave behind passion marks.”

“Oh! Sorry. I got lost in my own thoughts. And for once they weren’t focused on them. Or… what happened.” She turned around to face him and tossed the washcloth to the bench letting the water rinse her off.

“What had you so lost up here?” He tapped at her forehead and ran his hands over her waist.

“You. Tomorrow, the wedding. Maybe going to Bernie’s to get ready.” Her eyes trailed over his body appreciating the way the water cascaded off of him. Her eyes landed on his hardening member, and she reached out to run her finger over the length of him, “This. And what it’s going to feel like to have you all the way inside me.” She smiled at him and tilted her head under the spray of the water to give her hair one last rinsing.

“You wish to find out?” Niko pulled her to him and kissed her smiling lips.

“You offering?” She cocked her eyebrow at him and couldn’t stop the smirk that graced her lips.

“All day, every day. And nights too. Till my body gives out from exhaustion, and even then, I will continue to find ways to pleasure you.” He thumbed her nipples causing them to stiffen under his ministrations.

“Sounds lovely. But maybe we can move to the bedroom instead? My legs feel like jelly and I don’t think I can stand much longer.” She squeaked when he picked her up bridal style and turned the shower off. He kicked the shower door open letting the steam billow out into the bathroom from the shower. She shivered in his grasp and he shifted her in his arms. Carefully he moved them toward the bathroom door and managed to open it without dropping her. The cooler air blasted them, and he hurried over to the bed, lightly dropping her down upon the soft comforter. Her laugh at practically getting tossed onto the bed reached his ears and he joined in her laughter before moving over to the heater and turning it up to a warmer temperature.

Kate watched him move over to the thermostat and adjusted herself on the bed. Propping herself up on her side, moving her breasts to perk up, and cocked her hip out. She held her head up on one of her hands, the other she kept trailing over her side and hip. She figured this was a sexy pose, had read a steamy chapter in one of her romance novels. She tapped out a rhythm on her hip bone as he turned around and stopped in his tracks. “See something you like _Niko_? Something I can help you with?” She rolled to her back and arched her back up, perking her chest up, and slowly slid a hand down to play with herself. 

The bed bounced as Niko pounced on her. He settled between her legs and kissed her smiling lips. “Since when did Kate McReary get so adventurous?” He smiled as she laughed out loud.

“Since you corrupted me with your wild ways. Now I do believe you have a job to finish Mr. Bellic!” She laughed again and shifted to get more comfortable under him. He was smiling in that tender way that melted her heart. She placed a hand to the side of his face and traced over his scruff. The seriousness of the situation settling over them.

“I don’t deserve this from you. And why you chose to give your body to me will forever be a mystery to me.” He moved her hair from her face and took in her eyes, so full of life and love.

“There is no one else who deserves this more than you. I want you Niko. No one else.” She trailed her fingers along his jaw, memorizing the way his eyes softened and glassed over with an emotion she couldn’t recognize. “I love you Niko Bellic.”

“Kate, I do not say that phrase lightly. My mother was the only one to ever tell me they loved me. She’d whisper Волим те (Volim te) to me as she rocked me to sleep when I was scared that father would come back home drunk again. I have never uttered those words to another.” His voice was soft, and it matched the burning emotion in his eyes. He threaded one of his hands below her head into her hair, cupping her skull. He lowered his lips to hers and kept a small distance between them. “I have never told someone else that I love them, except for you.” He pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss. He wrapped his other arm under her lower back and pressed her to him.

Her heart began to race as his words seared into her soul. She was so unbelievably happy in this moment that she felt like crying, laughing, screaming for joy, doing a happy dance- anything! But she snapped back to reality when his lips landed on hers. She would settle for his kisses instead of yelling from the rooftops that she loved someone, and they loved her back. She wove her arms around him and helped him press herself to him, loving the way their bodies fit together. Her legs locked around his hips and pulled him down to her body.

He broke from the kiss and trailed more kisses to her cheek, over the dark purple bruise, down to her jaw, back to the soft skin below her ear, down the thin column of her neck to his favorite place that caused her to say his name blissfully. He groaned when his name slipped past her lips in a feather light moan.

“Niko. Make love to my body. Make love to me. Let me love you. Волим те (Volim te).” She whispered the words between breathy moans. He was sucking on her neck in a way that was causing her body to quiver in pleasure.

He moved away from her neck and placed a kiss to her lips before untangling himself from her and moving down her body. He tugged a nipple into his mouth and teased it with his teeth gently, before sucking on it and licking away the sting from his teeth. His hand found her other peak and tweaked it between his fingers. He went back and forth between the two causing her to thrash her head back and forth, chanting his name between one breath and the next. His hand slid down her body and started working her entrance again. He kept up his treatment of her breasts and pressed his fingers inside of her. He knew she would need to be primed and ready before he entered her fully. Otherwise it was going to be extremely painful for her.

“Oh Niko.” She gripped the bedsheets below her as he worked her up to having three of his fingers inside. Her hips bucked up to meet them each time he stroked back down inside of her. “ _Please._ ” 

“ _Beg for me Katie. Tell me what you want!”_ He kissed down her body and settled between her legs once more before removing his fingers and running his tongue once up her center. She was sweet, and already so wet for him. He sucked on her clit, ran his tongue all over her, tasting her, savoring her. Her voice was pitchy and broken as she moaned out his name.

“Talk to me in your language Niko. Tell me all you want to do to me. Tell me.” She spoke out to him, not sure if she would be able to take much more. His mouth was just as talented as his fingers and she was ready to go again already. Her fingers kept opening and closing on the sheets of the bed not sure what else she could do to anchor herself to this world.

“ _I’m going to slam myself into you over and over until we both come. I want to feel your walls as they grip me.”_ If she wanted his native tongue, he’d give it to her. He flicked his tongue rapidly over her clit and slid his fingers back inside of her and kept up a steady rhythm of pumping in and out of her. “Come for me Kate.” He raised his eyes to see if he could she her as she tumbled over the edge.

She had no idea that someone could feel this amount of pleasure and not just die. Her toes curled and she lifted her legs to drape them down over his back and squeeze down on him when his fingers entered her again. He was picking up the pace and it was driving her wild. “Niko I’m. I’m so close.” She bucked her hips up to meet him every time he shoved his fingers deep inside of her.

He reached up with his free hand and played with her nipple, sucking one last time on her clit, he felt her stiffen and pressed herself to his face. Then her walls quivered around his fingers signaling her climax. He watched as her eyes connected with him and felt one more little flutter. ‘ _Just a look gets you to go?’_ He slid his fingers out of her and licked them clean, making sure to keep his eyes trained on her face. He watched as she tugged her bottom lip into her mouth and chew it lightly, her eyes dilating with his actions.

“You want more?” His voice was low, the accent so thick, it took her a minute to realize he had spoken English.

“Please. Let me taste?” She reached out and grabbed his wrist lightly tugging at it to bring it up to her lips.

He crawled up her body, getting into position to enter her when she was ready, and ran the tip of one of his fingers along her bottom lip. She gladly opened and sucked his index finger into her mouth, curling her tongue around his appendage to lick everything off. He moaned at the feel and wished her mouth was on another part of his body. But he doubted she was ready for that step, and from what he gathered, she had been forced to give head by one of the men.

She locked her eyes with him and reached down between them to stroke over him in the same manner that her tongue was doing to his finger in her mouth. She guided the head to her entrance and rubbed him against her. She moaned around his finger with the way he felt pressed against her sensitive flesh.

“So eager моја љубав _(moja ljubav)_? You want me so soon?” Niko felt himself throb against her hand and entrance. He pulled his finger from her mouth and sucked what was left of her off the appendage.

“I love you Niko. And I want you to make me yours in every sense of the word. Yours. And only yours.” She rubbed him one more time along her folds finding her entrance and placing him there. Her other hand cupped his face and rubbed his cheek in a loving manner. “No more waiting. This is what I want. Is it not what you want?” She felt doubt seep into her heart and mind at the thought of him not wanting this.

“It is. I love you too Kate. So long as you know that to be true, then I will continue.” He leaned into her hand letting his love for her shine in his eyes. He may not be the best at words, especially in a second or third language, but he was good at physically expressing himself.

“I know it to be true.” She lifted her hips to press him more firmly to her, “Now please. Take me.” She lovingly gazed into his eyes as he slowly pushed forward.

“If it starts to hurt too much, tell me.” He kissed her lips and felt himself inch in. He went agonizingly slow. Her walls resisted him as he crept forward. He deepened his kiss to her lips to try and distract her. She was thinking too much about it and would cause herself more pain if she tightened up more than she already was. “Relax Katie, I got you.” He murmured the words against her lips before capturing them again in a sensual kiss.

Kate tried to steady her breathing as he pushed against her. It was nothing like what his fingers felt like and it was burning. His kissing was helping shut off the pain, but every new inch he moved in her, the burning sensation would flare up. Her nails dug into his shoulders when the flames licked against her spine. He stilled his movements to give her a chance to adjust to his size.

“Give me a second. You’re a lot bigger than your fingers.” She closed her eyes and rested her forehead to his. It hadn’t hurt this bad in the shower, but then again, he had barely entered her.

“Let me try something.” He rocked back out of her and slowly inched himself back into the depth he had just been at. He felt the moan in her chest as she shook beneath him. Her walls fluttered against him as he set a slow and steady pace of thrusting. She was slick and began to relax against his movements. She had responded the same way in the shower, and he figured it would work this way too.

“ _Niko!”_ She felt the air leave her lungs in a rush at the way his hips rocked into her. And the intense feeling of love, completeness, joy surged through her helping build up the pleasure that surged in her body. But the slowness of it all was getting frustrating, and it caused her to lift her hips up to his on one of his downward thrusts, causing him to slide in further. The groan that ripped from her throat didn’t sound like her at all.

He nearly lost all control when she lifted her hips up to meet his, and he pushed harder into her, almost seating himself fully. He glanced to her face to see the euphoric expression that graced her features. If she was wanting to pick up the pace, he wouldn’t deny her any longer. He kissed her swollen lips one more time before seeking out the junction of her neck. He shifted his weight off of her and held himself up to be able to thrust into her easier.

She turned her head to give him better access to suck on her. Everything tingled and burst to life inside of her. And every time he reached a new limit inside of her, she felt herself moan out his name. She felt so amazing and hoped he was enjoying this as much as she was. She had zero experience and felt fear start to seep into her heart. What if she was doing this wrong? She opened her eyes wanting to catch a glimpse of him. His eyes were glued shut and he grunted every time she let his name slip from her lips.

“Do I feel good to you?” She had to ask, needed to squash this childish fear that warred inside of her.

“Kate I’m having to fight off my own end because you feel so damn good.” He crashed his lips to hers and pushed the last inch of himself into her, finally filling her completely. The warmth, wetness, and pressure against him was indescribable. He felt her arch her back off the bed and pressed her body to his, wrapping her arms around him.

“You sure?” She broke the kiss and stared into his eyes when he opened them.

“ _Yes_!” He stroked partially out of her and thrusted back in her; the feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His eyes fluttered closed at getting to be with her like this. “Let me show you how good you feel to me.” He dropped his face down to her neck and lightly sucked on the spaced between the blood bruises that marred her skin. He reached down and tugged her legs around him, changing the angle and allowed him to enter her further.

She complied with his instruction and wrapped her legs around his hips. The new angle bringing a newer sensation to her. She felt him tuck an arm below her lower back, the other one reaching up her back to bury his hand in her hair. He trapped her body to his and she quivered at the possessiveness of it all. He began to rock in and out of her in a steady pace, placing kiss after open mouthed kiss to her neck and collarbone.

He held her tightly to him as he ground down into her tight channel. He wanted to go so badly, as the feel of her was intoxicating. Her voice was like an aria, soothing his soul as he continued to love her body. Her hands ran down his back and scratched his skin when she raked her nails up his back. He was never loud when he’d have sex, but her body was pulling out noises from him he had never made before. “Kate, _come with me. Let go._ ”

“ _Niko!_ ” She moaned his name loudly in the bedroom as he hit her walls with more force. “Yes! Harder. _Please_!” She saw stars when he had thrusted into her with more force.

He lifted off of her and spread her legs open, holding them where he wanted them. He watched as he disappeared inside her before moving out. Just the sight of being inside her caused his insides to clench painfully tight. He set a rhythm of slowly pounding her hard, before slowly dragging himself out, almost completely out, before slamming back into her. He moaned at how she squeezed her muscles against him as he pulled back. He looked up to her flushed face and connected with her eyes.

She loved his eyes more than anything. They were so expressive when he chose to drop his guard, and the absolute, unapologetic lust that she could see in his caused her insides to quake. She watched as his devilish smirk lifted his lips and she felt herself go gently against him.

His hands firmly gripped her when he felt her walls clamp down on him. He couldn’t believe the effect he had on her, and the fact that she was so willing, slightly wild, drove him crazy. Her pleading words to go faster floated around his mind and he felt his smirk turn dark, “So eager? You want me to,” he slammed into her a few times in a row letting her know what he was wanting to do, before stilling his movements, “That what you want? You need me to take you hard and fast?”

He didn’t want to hurt her, especially since this was her first time, but his needs were pounding away at him inside. He watched as she tilted her chin up in a sign of defiance and sent him her own smirk. The way her lip curled, her eyes shone in the dim light of the bedroom, caused something inside him to roar to life. He leaned forward and kissed her hard, thrusting his hips against her. He was going to love getting to have her all the time.

She raised her hips at every downward stroke of his. She was building back up rapidly, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle much more. Her body throbbed with the way he kept thrusting into her. Every time he would grunt or moan, she would answer with her own. Her mind kept slipping back into the heavy fog that settled on the outskirts of conscience thought. She wanted to simply just let go completely and trust Niko to see to her needs. She cupped the back of his head and scratched at his short hair, her other hand gripping his butt firmly. She held on best she could as his movements became erratic and uncontrolled. 

Her hands on him scorched his flesh. The way her nails dug into his ass caused him to slip in his control. He pounded into her tight channel over and over wanting to reach his end. Her voice was pitchy, coarse with how much she called his name. He was getting close and he did his best to hold off to make sure she went before him. But she was clenching painfully around him, and it was impossibly hard to stay off his end.

“I’m so close Niko. Take me. _Take me_!” She almost yelled out the words. She sucked in air trying to keep her heart from bursting from her chest. Everything inside her was coiled so tightly and she just wanted it to snap and unwind. She hooked her legs around him tightly, holding on as best she could as he bucked into her rapidly. It was as if a timer went off in her mind- everything all at once imploded. She crushed him down on her and let out a throaty moan. The waves that coursed through her caused her limbs to tremble, her core to quiver uncontrollably, and her toes to curl. The room darkened in her vision and she felt like passing out. “ _Oh Niko…_ ”

He had felt it the moment she came undone. He buried himself as far as he could go to feel her orgasm. He held himself to her, tightly gripping her body as she quaked beneath him. He pulled out to thrust in a few more times before joining her. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so spent after having sex. His body trembled with the euphoric way completion washed over him.

A wholeness settled in his heart, filing the voids that existed. Killing Dimitri, knowing Jimmy and Ray were dead, the six figures in his bank account, the flashy Infernus, the expansive weapons he owned- none of it gave him the satisfying feeling of being complete. As he felt the aftereffects of love making caress over him, he could almost see the bright future that lay ahead of him. He shifted himself to allow Kate to breath easier. As their eyes met, he let a full genuine smile bloom on his face. It had been so long since he had simply let go and let himself succumb to the lightness of life.

Her eyes were glazed over in ecstasy as they lovingly gazed back to him. Her smile was gentle and sappy. And just the sight of her post orgasm gave his heart a hard thump. He leaned down and placed a tender kiss to her smiling lips, “I love you.” The words still felt weird coming off his tongue. But he knew he meant them and would tell her every moment till his dying breath.

Her body felt heavy and exhausted, as if she had run a marathon. Her heart still pounded away in her chest and she wondered if she’d ever come down from this high she was riding. Not that she wanted to get off the ride. He looked at her with such love, devotion, and compassion. His smile was one she had never seen before and it made him look so young and full of life. She returned the kiss when he placed one to her lips. Then the words she had longed to hear from him drifted to her. She could die a happy woman now that he had given her everything she ever wanted in life. “I love you too Niko.” Her body was dragging her toward sleep rapidly and she stifled a yawn.

He chucked at her attempts to hide her yawn, “Tired?” He smirked at her and carefully untangled himself from her, rolling to the side, flopping down on his back. The chill of the bedroom air started to settle down on him and caused him to shiver.

“Mmhmm.” She hummed and turned into him, wrapping an arm across his stomach. “So sleepy…” She slurred as sleep tried to take her. “So satisfied…”

He shifted his arm and pulled her up against him. He tugged the blankets down and guided her under them, pulling them over their cooling bodies. She immediately settled down on his chest in the same way she had earlier that morning. He smiled as she got comfortable against him. ‘ _If this is what happily ever after is like, then I can get used to this…’_

“Get some sleep. I’ll watch over you. I love you.” He kissed the top of her head and snuggled down into the mattress getting comfortable to fall asleep. He felt her move slightly to adjust to his movements, before going dead weight against him. He chuckled at her sluggishness before placing his arms around her letting his own tired mind drift off toward sleep. He would deal with Rebecca and mystery motorcycle man later. Right now, all he wanted to do was get some deep sleep with Kate tucked against his body.

‘ _Those eyes… They looked just like Dimitri’s…’_ Was the last conscience thought before he tumbled into the great oblivion of sleep.

aaaaaa

“Open cell 1030 for inspection.”

Gerry sat up on the cot that was attached to the wall. He groaned at the timing of his unexpected ‘house call’ and wondered what they were looking for now. He followed procedure and moved to the far wall and leaned into the corner casually waiting to see who was going to come and try to pin something on him. He cracked his knuckles preparing for a fight. It had been like this randomly and he was about done with the prison’s antics.

“No! Please! I need solitary! Don’t put me in there with that crazy-ass man!” A voice pleaded to the officers, one that was trying to trigger a memory in his mind. He glanced around his cell knowing full well there wasn’t another cot to spare. Or the room to house another inmate. Something told him who was about to enter his cell was not a welcomed guest.

“Look whatever you did to the lady, was bad enough for IAA to make this call. It’s out of our hands. And maybe you should have kept yours to yourself!” There was a scuffling sound as the prisoner tried to get out of the officers grasp. The jingling of keys, the rustling of feet, and the sound hands trying to slap, reached his ears. He scrunched his eyebrows together trying to figure out what was going on.

“I’ll snitch! I’ll give you whatever you need on the Ancelotti’s! Everything! Bank accounts, safe houses, who runs for them. Shipments of drugs! Anything!” He begged the officers that dragged him down the long row of prison cells. He whimpered as he saw the metal bars slide open to a cell ahead of him, “Just please! He’ll kill me!” He cried out and picked up his efforts to get out of police custody.

“When IAA tells you to do something and leave it be. We do. Sorry pal. But you fucked with the wrong person.” The guard hauled the man to his feet and shoved him to the opening of the cell. His fellow officer closed off the exit for him to run down the hall.

Gerry watched as a feeble looking man stumbled into the empty space before his cell door. Recognition hit him full force and a sneer spread on his face. “Well hello, _Jason_! Long time no see.” He laughed darkly at seeing the man who had attempted to harm his sister. “Ancelotti’s huh?” He shook his head. He was looking forward to beating this man again.

“I swear this is all one big ass misunderstanding. We had agreed to fuck one another. She was just getting warmed up to the idea. I swear it! She just needed encouragement!” He yelled out into the quiet prison hallway. A couple of other inmates whooped at his words and banged on the metal bars of their cells.

“That’s not what we were told. You attempted to rape someone. _Twice_! And the attempt tonight was foiled by her brother. So, let us get you reacquainted with her _other_ brother.” One of the officers took out their baton and slammed it against the back of Jason’s knees causing him to fall to the ground on all fours. “Got a gift for you Gerry. Compliments from Francis, someone named Niko, and IAA.” The other officer hauled Jason up by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the cell, unceremoniously dropping him to the concrete floor.

“If you manage to live through the night, maybe you will think twice about touching a woman who doesn’t want to be touched!” The officer backed out of the cell and called down the hall, “Close cell 1030! Inspection check clear.” He turned back and made eye contact with Gerry, simply giving him a nod before moving back down the hall with his fellow officer.

“What did you try with my sister?!” Gerry roared in his cell. Immediately he grabbed the man by the neck and slammed him back into the metal bars. He had seen red with his words. He thought he had beat enough sense in him the last time he had tried something with his sister.

“Get him Gerry!”

“No one fucks with the McReary’s!”

“Bathe in his blood!”

Several inmates yelled out from the cells, cheering Gerry on. They all heard the conversation and were going wild wanting to hear the sound of fists pummeling flesh.

“I didn’t do shit to your whore of a sister. She’s ruined goods now. Fucking that immigrant prick!” He spat in the face of Gerry. He knew his life was forfeit but that didn’t mean he couldn’t go out swinging.

“Katie is no whore. I bet you’d whore yourself out to stop me from killing you.” He slammed him against the bars again, causing the other inmates to cheer out wildly. “Whadda say boys! Someone need a new bitch?!” He laughed when the hall was filled with ‘oohs and ahhs’ and cat calls. The noise escalating to an exceptional volume.

“Oh fuck you Gerry. You ain’t got no power anymore. The McReary’s are finished. Packie is on the shit list. Kate too. Francis has his end coming. And look at where you are. People want you all dead and it’s going to happen. Some dude on a motorcycle paid me a grand to kidnap your sister at some fancy restaurant. Said I could do whatever I wanted to her. Maybe your sick fucked up mind wants to know the details?” He cackled at the darkening look he received from Gerry. He didn’t care anymore what was said, as he knew Gerry wouldn’t let him live.

The noise in the hall quieted and Jason hiccupped between chuckles, “I was going to tie her down on a bed, torture her for hours on end. Cut all that creamy skin. Then when she begged for death, I was gonna fuck her brains out. Maybe I would’ve recorded the whole damn thing. Probably would’ve gotten a small fortune for it. I’d give you a copy for free!” He laughed hysterically, his mind slipping into madness.

“Maybe I should tie you to this cot and cut your balls off and feed them to you?” Gerry threw him across the cell and laughed at the pitiful squeak that came out of Jason when he connected with the wall. 

“Fuck him up Gerry!”

“Yeah get that piece of shit!”

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The noise in the hall escalated to an obnoxious roar as Gerry stalked over to Jason’s body, “No one and I mean no one, fucks with my family!” He slammed his fist into Jason’s face repeatedly relishing in the sound of bone crunching under his knuckles. He dragged him out of the corner and sprawled him out on the concrete floor. “What no come back? I knock some sense into you finally?” Gerry shook him by his collar. He felt the sneer cross his face at the idea that this man had dared to touch his innocent sister.

Jason spit out some of the blood that had collected in his mouth, “It’s whatever. None of them will see the end of tomorrow. I’ll get mine in the end.”

For some reason, the rage inside of him cooled at his words. He needed to get word out to Packie and Niko. Jason’s words caused an unsettling feeling to descend his spine. “Maybe we will play a game instead? You answer my questions and I won’t break your bones. There is 206 chances of answering wrong. And if I get what I need. You’ll get to see sunrise.” Gerry got up off of him and wiped his bloody knuckles on his orange prison jumper.

“I’m not telling you shit!” Jason spat more blood toward Gerry. He watched through swollen eyes as Gerry paced around the small prison cell.

“Aw we haven’t even started the questions and already you are answering wrong!” Gerry stomped down on Jason’s pinky finger causing the man to holler out in agony. “Now. Let’s begin!”

aaaaaa

“You know? I have spent _years_ learning the art of manipulation, torture, and the most exotic ways of making men talk.” Karen pressed the dull side of the knife to the throat of one of the captured Russians from the hospital, forcing his battered face to look up to her. “You are no exception to this skillset.”

“ _I’ve told you! We don’t know anything!”_

“Ugh translation?!” Karen turned to look at a fellow agent who sat on a metal chair in the dimly lit room of the black ops site. She held a laptop and typed every time the men spoke, making sure they had a full record of the spoken words. 

“The same as before. They don’t know anything.” The female grimaced at the unfortunate luck they were having at getting info out of these men. They had put them through the ringer, and she was starting to believe that they really didn’t know anything of value. She nodded to Karen and pointed to the needle nose pliers. Perhaps a newer approach was needed.

“I like the way you think!” Karen faked a stabbing motion toward the man’s knee with the knife, smirking when he cried out scared. She flipped the knife in her hand and chucked it toward a wood post watching as the blade impaled into the wood, splintering it further. She lifted the pilers from the metal tray and snapped them a couple of times for dramatic effect.

“Now you have five fingernails on each hand. I’m going to ask a simple question and you are going to give me a satisfying answer, otherwise…” She clicked the pliers close to one of the men’s face.

“We don’t get direct orders from the higher-ups. We get an assignment via email. Then we do as told. The money shows up a few days later at a drop point.” The youngest man yelled out at the people in the room. He was tired of being beaten and tortured. His comrades may want to die for the cause, but the cause was dumb and dead.

“ _Shut up you stupid mother fucker. These people are going to kill us anyway. Do not give them anything!”_ The man who Karen was currently working on yelled out to the one who spoke in English. He glared through his bloody eyes at the youngest member of their squadron.

“He’s the smart one. You are right about one thing sir.” The agent looked up from her laptop as she translated his words, “Karen execute one of them that isn’t speaking.” The agent in the chair pulled her pistol from her holster and held it out for Karen to take. If a point needed to be proven, so be it.

“What did he say?” She limped over to her fellow agent and took the gun, handing her the pilers in return.

“To not talk since we are going to kill them anyway.” She shrugged placing the pliers back down on the tray and turned back to her laptop to enter in the info into the log.

“Ah. Well if you’d just tell us what we need to know, none of you would need to die. We could have you on the next flight to Russia. All of you have expired visas and are here illegally.” She pulled back on the slide and cocked the gun getting ready to fire it. She pointed at each one of the men trying to decide on who would fall victim to her ruse.

“We don’t know names! They don’t tell us them!” The younger one cried out at seeing the gun. He didn’t want to die tonight, and especially in some dark, dirty room as a captive. 

“Wrong answer.” She turned and shot out one of the other men’s knee, causing all of them to scream out scared and in pain. “Now. Tell me the names, locations, and operations of the sex trafficking ring operating here in Liberty City. Or if you aren’t part of that. Who sent you to the hospital!” She pressed the gun to the youngest man’s knee, singeing the skin under the heat of the barrel of the gun.

He screamed out in pain, “Okay! Okay! We were hired to kill the last members of the McReary clan. We were told they would all be at the Holland Hospital. That’s all we know. We were given weapons and an address. That’s it! I swear!” He started crying at the pain and did his best to move away from the hot pistol, but with how he was bound the attempts were futile.

“That’s better. You can live. But your friend’s better start talking!” She removed the gun from the person’s knee and walked over to the other two men in the room, “Your other friend’s weren’t so lucky. Fairly large group to take out only three people. Why the large group?” She lifted one of the men’s faces using the end of the pistol. The bloodied and swollen face only blankly looked back at her.

“ _She’s bluffing. She was there at the hospital!”_ The man who hadn’t been shot screamed out to the young man trying to get him to stop talking. If these people didn’t kill them, then the ones outside the building definitely would. He tried to get away from the lady who pressed the gun to his chin.

Karen turned to look at her fellow agent waiting for a translation.

“They know you were at the hospital.”

“ _That’s right. My brother shot you twice. How’s the leg feel!”_ The man whose knee was bleeding out chuckled and jerked his head up to look at the woman who had large bandages wrapped around her leg and arm. “ _Sucks he missed. You don’t deserve to live in this world. Dimitri said you weren’t of importance, but with the way you and Niko worked together, maybe he was wrong, eh? Perhaps he fucked you too good and wants to keep his fuck toy around a little longer!”_ He coughed horribly as he struggled to laugh. He spit the blood out on the floor and did his best to smirk at the dark haired female who was doing a piss poor job getting info out of him. “ _Rot in hell you dumb bitch!”_

The agent met Karen’s eyes and motioned across her neck to kill the man who had just spoken. Karen didn’t hesitate and turned the pistol toward the laughing man and fired a bullet into his head. Blood and tissue flew out the other side of the head before falling limply forward unmoving. The younger one screamed out in horror and started to bawl. The other man only shook his head.

“Do I want to know?” Karen lowered the weapon and hobbled over to her coworker. She picked up a towel and wiped the blood splatter from her hand and arm.

“He said you and Niko worked well together and that Dimitri should have not ignored your importance. His brother was the one who managed to hit you twice.” She shook her head and smirked, “Oh and to rot in hell.” They both laughed at that. “But I think they could use a break. Maybe seeing their dead comrade for a bit will make them see reason?” She glanced up to Karen and took her pistol back from her.

“Fine! Let’s give them a break to reassess their answers.” She limped over to the knife and jerked it out of the wooden post, twirling it between her fingers skillfully, “When I come back you better remember your bosses name.” She dropped the knife down on the metal tray by her fellow officer. As carefully as she could she hobbled over to the door and knocked on it. The agent on the other side, dressed in full tactical gear, opened the door for her.

“Keep an eye on them. Come get me if they start talking.” She nodded to the man and made her way down the dark hallway to a makeshift bedroom. Her leg was screaming at her in pain. She stumbled into the door needing to get off her feet. Shoving it open, she took the few steps toward the cot, and collapsed down on it. She rolled to her back and stared up at the ceiling counting the tiles to try and distract her mind from the pain that radiated through her body.

‘ _Ugh! I didn’t want to kill that man. But she ranks higher than me and we were getting no where with him. I hope those idiots start talking. The young one is definitely the one I need to work on more. Maybe separate him, get him thinking he’s got a chance to get out of this mess.’_ She adjusted herself on the bed and laid her hands over her stomach and closed her eyes trying to slow her racing heart. She had seen death before, this was nothing new, and she wondered when it would get easier for her.

A tear escaped down her cheek and she swiped angrily at it. She was a federal agent. And agents don’t cry. Especially over criminals that wanted her dead. She let out a dry laugh. She figured Niko had probably killed more people than she had. The man she just shot was her fifth while in an interrogation setting. She didn’t know how many she had downed at the hospital. Her and Niko had worked in tandem and she had lost track of how many only her bullets hit.

Her cell phone buzzed on the floor under the cot and she rolled over and picked it up. Agent Johnson had sent her a text. She let the smile spread at seeing his name light up her screen.

‘Bulgarin is dead. Arm was recovered in the ocean, matching known tattoo of Ray’s. – J’

‘Good to know. Would much rather be out there than here. - K’ She smiled knowing that Ray was officially dead. It was one less thing to worry about now. Her phone buzzed again, and she opened the next message.

‘Miss you too. ;) – J’

She rolled her eyes and sent back, ‘Haha yeah okay. Miss your dick more. – K’

Almost immediately her partner sent back a reply, ‘And he misses you. My place once your free? – J’

They had never been anything serious. They worked great together and gave each other a run for their money, and one day it had led to them having sex in the closet at ULP. They had agreed that if they found someone else, they would call off their sexual relationship. And after the night she had, she would welcome his affections. ‘I’ll call when I leave. Injured leg and arm, so it won’t be as wild as normal. – K’

‘Ouch! Just means you won’t fight back as hard! Haha! – J’

She smiled at his message and dropped her phone back down on the cot. Maybe if she took some pain killers about an hour before getting to his place her leg wouldn’t bother her as bad. She was looking forward to letting lose and getting rid of some of her pent up aggression. But she hoped that the Russians wouldn’t hold out too much longer. She was getting tired of listening to their language.

A knock at the door caused her to turn her head and lean up on the cot to see who was there. ‘ _The young kid break already?’_

“Long night? Want some company?” Bernard stood in the open doorway. He had instructed her to go oversee the interrogation of the Russian mobsters when she called in about finding nothing of use in Bulgarin’s house. He figured getting to beat on the men who had injured her would be therapeutic. But seeing her expression, maybe he thought wrong.

“You’re not exactly the _company_ I seek.” She scoffed and laid back down to continue counting the tiles in the ceiling. She knew the reprimand was coming, but she didn’t want to hear it now.

“Should I be offended?” He scoffed before responding, “So. Why did you attack Niko?” He walked into the room and pulled the door shut behind him. He needed to get through to her and make sure his agent wasn’t about to go rouge on them. He tucked a file under his arm as he sat on the stool in the room. He also had some information for her but would get the more difficult discussion over with first.

“Why not?” She waved her hand dismissively. Her anger over everything burning back to life inside her. She was not in the mood to repeat the nights events.

“Because it was stupid of you. He could have easily choked the life out of you, and I’d be down another agent.” He raised his eyebrow at her attitude. Something had to have been said between the two of them. He had warned her about getting close to her mark. To not fall for him as he was nothing but a mission. A job. And yet he was beginning to believe she had ignored his advice.

“Well he didn’t. And I managed to get some of my pent up anger out. I told you I wasn’t ready for the field. But you completely ignored that.” She turned to look at her boss. Technically he was her bosses bosses boss. But lately she had only been reporting to him. The other agents were extremely jealous of her rise in status.

“No, you were ready. I wouldn’t have sent one of my best agents on assignment if I didn’t think she was ready. I’ve overseen your training, your progress- and you try to throw that all away over some contract killer?” He pushed her buttons, needing her to see her weak points. To be able to identify the problem on her own, so she could work independently. Going undercover was rough on an agent.

“He’s not just some fucking assassin! He has a name, a family, a life! You sent me, a 27 year old, out on a job to seduce a man!” She sat up on the cot and clutched her leg when the movement caused it to burn severely. She gritted her teeth to keep from showing how much pain she was in, to her boss. She had been careless in the field and paid the price. Her boss was already disappointed in her, and the last thing she wanted was another chastising.

“I sent you to scout him out. To figure out if he was connected to the killings on the Platypus. To try and connect him to Torres’ coke operation. You did a good job getting in close with Mallorie, which ultimately led you to Niko. You decided to take it further and sleep with him. It’s not my fault you fell for him.” He dropped the file on the tray and crossed his arms, watching as she struggled to sit up on the cot. He knew her leg and arm must be killing her. He glanced toward the corner of the room where her crutches rested. He smirked at her resilience. 

“Oh, so it’s my fault that I still managed to bring down Torres and give Niko to you on a silver platter?” She scoffed and leaned back into the wall the cot was resting against. She felt her fire die out inside. She knew he was only trying to get her to see reason and to be rational about the situation. They had done this exercise so many times that she wondered if he ever actually cared about her, or if this was all just one big assignment to him. 

“You did wonderfully with that. And once we get the major players down on this sex trafficking ring, you can report back to HQ in Los Santos. I know you’ve got to be missing the warm weather and sun. This place sucks.” He pulled out a cigarette and held the box out for her to take one. If there was one thing they had in common, it was smoking.

“I hate everything about this city.” She grumbled and accepted the cig. She watched as he lit his and held the lighter out to her. She gladly took it and lit her own, taking a long drag off of it, “Maybe not everything. I know I was stupid in attacking him.” She blew out the smoke and took another drag. The buzz filling her head and calming down her anger at the whole situation she was in.

“It was. But if you two hadn’t ended up in the stairwell, what do you think would have taken place?” He was curious to know what her plan of action would have been had things occurred differently. From what he gathered from her initial report to him, they had been outside Patrick’s ICU room. He had seen the hospital layout and knew they would have been in the direct line of fire if the Russian’s had made it to the ICU floor.

“Honestly? They would have taken us by surprise. My head was all over the place. Part of me genuinely cared that Packie make it through. Francis and I spent a lot of time at dinner talking, and I got to say that family is one gigantic mess. But you definitely hit the nail on the head about Francis. He is easy to control. He has too many loose ends and weaknesses. Women, alcohol, and power. Typical.” She took another drag and puffed the smoke out.

“But when we dropped off Jason at HQ, we overheard a call on the radio for a code 3 proceed with siren and lights, 33 emergency all units stand by, and 901N ambulance requested. Francis radioed in asking for the location and they told him it was his brother. We got sent the route and we took off. I don’t know how we beat the firetruck there.” She looked down at her lap. She had seen how scared Francis looked and it caused her own concern to grow. She didn’t think he cared for his criminal family members, but seeing the utter terror cross Francis’ face, had given her reason to believe the stories about him were false.

“Then what?” Bernard encouraged her on, needing her to talk about things in order to clear her head. Help her see what other options she could have taken during the course of the evening. And hopefully, by allowing her to speak about the events, she’d be able to relax and let go. He didn’t dare show it to anyone, but Karen was one of the only agents he had taken a particular interest in. She reminded him of his daughter at times. She had a fire in her, and his daughter was nothing but a spitfire.

“We arrived at this apartment building. A female rushed out and grabbed at Francis as he exited the vehicle, dragging him into the lobby. I followed close behind not liking the way the woman glared at me or how she put up this front. She looked distraught, but something didn’t feel right. That’s when I saw a gentleman trying to perform CPR. I just reacted. It didn’t matter that it was Packie. Could have been anyone for all I cared. I counted for the chest compressions and took over mouth to mouth. Francis was hysterical. Screaming for backup, an ambulance, the closest hospital to be prepped and ready to go.” She looked up to her boss wanting to know if she needed to keep going or stop. She was craving a drink, but the nicotine was going to have to work for the time being.

Sometimes she had to question how easily it was to just talk to this man. She never got his name. That was one thing about the IAA. Anyone high enough on the chain never released their names to anyone. He was the first person she spoke to when she exited the plane in Liberty for the first time. She was scared of being in such a large city on her own. No family, no fellow officers, or familiar faces. Was it no wonder she had fallen for Niko so easily? She waited for her boss to nod or wave to let her know to keep going. When he nodded encouragingly, she started up again.

She took a steadying breath, “I guess when you rank high enough in the police force, people answer the call. So many jackets swarmed the place. The firetruck pulled up and took over for me and- I think his name was Tom, and I pulled Francis out of the lobby. He didn’t need to be around the commotion. Not in the state of mind he was in. I didn’t feel a heartbeat, his lungs never tried to suck in air on their own. I knew he was gone.” She wiped at her eyes trying to not let the tears fall. She had seen dead bodies before. She even killed people. But trying to save someone and your attempts fail? That was rough. Her eyes burned with the unshed tears and she scolded herself for showing weakness in front of her boss. She put her finished cigarette down in the semi full ash tray that was on the tray table.

“It’s difficult. Our line of work.” Bernard could somewhat sympathize with her. Losing someone was never easy. Even after years of doing his job, death still hit him hard. He held out his pocket square to her. Usually he would berate his agents for getting emotional. But tonight, he was feeling compassionate. It had been a crazy eventful night for them all. 

She gently took the cloth and wiped her eyes, “I watched as the EMTs worked on him. Tom was in utter hysterics. Francis kept trying to calm him down, take his statement, and also give out orders to the officers that approached us. I stayed quiet and out of the way. I took up position against one of the cruisers, needing to keep my distance, but also keep an eye on the female that rubbed me the wrong way. I’m telling you. Something is off about her.” She trusted her gut instinct more than anything when it came to reading people and that woman looked downright evil. She had only stood outside the building staring at Packie with this blank look on her face. She never once tried to calm Tom down till someone drew notice to her.

“I’ll get to that, so then what happened?” He was proud of her for picking up on Rebecca’s persona. Which was another reason he was here to talk to Karen. Niko’s call had given him something else to worry about. Something much worse.

“Kate and Niko showed up. Tom spotted them approaching on the sidewalk. Started crying his eyes out to them. Francis tried to cut them off first. I had never heard such raw emotion come out of a person before in my life when Kate screamed her brother’s name. I don’t know what came over me really. I grabbed her as she rushed the front doors. I had to keep her from seeing him.” Karen paused and took a deep breath, wiping her eyes again when the tears threatened to fall again.

“Did you know she was injured? Did you read the report I sent you?” Bernard spoke softly to his agent, watching as she shook her head ‘no.’

“We struggled. I didn’t want to hurt her. Not like I wanted to at the restaurant. But she was thrashing around trying to get out of my hold. I took hold of her wrists to try and contain her. I gave them a slight twist to be able to bring her arms down to her sides. She just cried out in pain. It startled me so I somewhat shoved her off of me, and she fell to the sidewalk. I didn’t even try to use much force. Niko shoved me and almost went for his gun.” She smiled at the memory. The other cops had all gone for their weapon at seeing someone attack a fellow officer. The look he had sent her had been almost amusing. “That had been when the lady walked up to the group and put on her worried act again.”

“Ah. That explains some of the hostility between the two of you. Continue.” Bernard finished his cigarette and placed it down on the ash tray that was somewhat full on the tray table. He was going to wait till she was finished before interjecting things he knew of.

“Francis and Niko followed Kate into the lobby. Trying to comfort her. I stayed outside to keep an eye on the evil looking chick and Tom. I’m telling you. Now that I am getting to think back on what took place, something isn’t adding up.” She squinted her eyes as she tried to remember the finer details of the hectic situation. Tom had been unusually upset, and even his anguish was rubbing off on her, but for the other female to simply stand there and only place a hand to his shoulder in support didn’t feel right to her.

When she noticed her boss simply staring at her, she picked up where she left off, “The ambulance arrived soon after. They loaded him into the back and took off for the hospital. I meant to catch a ride back to HQ after that, but Francis grabbed my arm and guided me back to his car. I figured I was along for the ride at that point. I lost track of Tom and the female. Niko and Kate took off for his car and we all raced up the road to the Holland Hospital. I kept my distance. That’s when I called you to report in. I think you had just finished escorting the VIPs down to the motorcade.” She glanced up to her boss trying to piece the timeline together. He only nodded to her statement.

“I don’t know how much time had passed. Francis, Kate, and Niko all waited in the waiting room. I made a round of the hospital. Checked in with security to let them know I was there armed and that _my partner_ was also undercover and armed. That way Niko wouldn’t be arrested for carrying in the hospital. The security officer gave me the run down of policy and procedures. I blanked on most of it. Didn’t care.” She had been passive and let the security officer ramble on about proper procedure for agencies to call ahead when officers were going to be present. If it made him feel like he was doing a good job, she would let him talk. She only slightly felt bad for ignoring him knowing now he had been the first person killed when the Russian’s took the lobby hostage.

“Once I had been man-splained for what felt like an hour by the security cop I decided I needed to go check in with Francis. He felt like my stand in partner for the evening. When I got back to the waiting room, they were all gone. I asked the head nurse and was given Packie’s room number.” This was when things went weird for her. She chewed her lip uncertain on what all she felt comfortable with explaining to her boss. She had been feeling all over the place and seeing Niko all dressed up at the restaurant had driven her old desires to the surface.

She shoved everything she felt for Niko to the side once she got the orders to bring him in. She had cried uncontrollably the night before she was to turn him over. She contemplated simply calling Niko to meet up some place randomly. Had even pulled up his number in her phone, but the threat of IAA destroying her life was what kept her finger from pressing send. She didn’t want to believe she had fallen for him, but she had. And she fell _hard_. She had eagerly accepted the offer to escort Francis to the dinner to be able to keep an eye out for the party. It would be her one chance at seeing Niko one last time. Just to finish the relationship the way she wanted to.

But things had tumbled out of control when Francis had spotted Jason lurking around in the server’s hallway. They agreed to corner the man and figure out what he was doing at the restaurant. She went to the restroom to adjust her holster and check her weapon one last time when she heard Niko and Kate in the hall outside the restroom door. Something broke inside her heart and she felt an all-encompassing anger flood her system. It had been too opportunistic to simply toy with Kate’s mind when she entered the restroom looking thoroughly kissed.

Now? She felt only slightly bad for the words she had coldly given to the innocent female. It wasn’t her fault for how things went down. She let out a sigh and realized she had gone quiet and internal. Her boss was giving her a blank look and it caused a blush to creep up her cheeks. She mouthed the words ‘sorry’ before continuing her report on what took place at the hospital. 

“I waited outside Packie’s room. Niko emerged and we just started going at each other verbally. I lost my cool. I’ll be the first to admit. His words had cut at scabbed over wounds. I had been ill prepared to deal with his words and I lashed out.” Her eyes glazed over as the fight played out in her mind. She had been sloppy, emotionally driven in her attempts to hit him. Completely ignoring all the training she had undergone. 

“And he is one skilled hand to hand combatant. I was in over my head for sure. He slapped every strike away, exposed my openings. It was so embarrassing. It only drove my ire higher and I just wanted to land something on him. Somehow, I forced him into the stairwell. Now to answer your initial question? If we hadn’t of fought. They would have ambushed us in the hall. Well. Possibly. The doors were locked, needed security badges to open. And I’m not sure if we would have heard the door slamming open in the hall we were in.” Karen finished explaining what happened between depositing Jason off and ending up at the hospital. She felt slightly winded after talking so much.

“My guess is they would have needed to fire a weapon to open the door. That would have alerted you and any other officer on the floor. It would’ve probably ended very differently then it did. But thankfully the only causality is the hit to your leg and arm.” He looked over her leg and arm bandages pleased they hadn’t started bleeding with her moving around in interrogation. He didn’t need her getting further compromised than she already was.

“Hurts like hell. Will definitely be avoiding getting shot at in the near future.” She huffed out and rubbed at her leg when it throbbed in pain. She did feel better after talking things out with her boss. While she would never admit to herself or others, she enjoyed the time she got to spend in his company.

Bernard pushed his glasses up on his face and glanced to the file he had brought in with him. He had a proposition for her, and he would let her choose this time. “How do you like your current assignment?” He would feel her out, before giving out the information he had acquired.

“Which one? Niko duty? Baby sitting the Princess? Or the actual job of infiltrating the sex tracking ring?” Karen wearily looked to where he sat and shifted her eyes to the vanilla envelope on the tray table. A small voice in her head told her things were about to get a whole lot worse for her.

He had to laugh at her comments, “Your actual job Karen.”

“Oh, you know. Just lovely. Couldn’t be happier hunting down depraved men and castrating them in dark alleys.” She snorted and felt herself smile at his laugh.

“I have another assignment. This one would replace the current one- if you choose to accept it.” He paused to get her attention fully. This assignment would be of the highest importance. And he needed her to know the seriousness of it. He pulled out a small device from his inside jacket pocket and laid it down gently on the tray table. He brought a finger up to his lips to signal for her to remain quiet. He pressed a side button on the device and held up his phone to show it had no signal to her.

‘ _He brought a jammer in here for a conversation?!’_ This caught her full attention. She sat up straighter on the bed, beyond curious now as to what he was about to tell her. There was no way she would back out of this new assignment now.

He waited for her eyes to meet his before continuing, “Niko called me while I was leaving the shootout in Hove and heading toward the airport to get the report from the ground team. Turns out your gut reaction over the female, who everyone knows as Rebecca, is not who she seems.” He picked up the folder and held it up, not quite letting her take it yet.

“You’ve piqued my interest.” She grew skeptical. He had a way of wording things to sound more exciting than it actually was. But with the way her own instincts had warned her about the blonde female, she would be taking this job over the sex trafficking ring any day. Not to mention with the level of secrecy being held around their conversation, things were about to hit a new level of crazy for her.

“Her Americanized name is Rebecca Sasha Randall.” He held the file out for her to take. This night just kept getting more and more surprising to him. He didn’t trust any other agent with this information. And since she was close to Niko, it would make this assignment a touch more enjoyable for her.

Karen eagerly accepted the file and flipped the cover open. A mugshot of the woman she had seen at the apartment building stared up at her on Interpol letterhead. She flipped through a couple of pages listing a ton of petty crimes. The last page however had a ton of information redacted. The only words visible being forged checks, homicide, torture, and grand larceny. She turned the page over discovering a passport. An _Israeli_ passport, that was flagged as fake, and sealed in an evidence bag. She placed the file down on the cot next to her and opened the plastic bag, sliding the passport out with shaky hands.

“She accepted the job as the front desk attendant at Middle Park apartments a few years ago when she immigrated to Liberty.” He watched his agent as she looked through the paperwork and passport in the file folder. There wasn’t much to go on about her, as almost everything had been wiped from the IAA database. He had made a call to FIB and got nothing in return. He prayed Interpol would be more helpful, and only received a few pages of committed crimes under the alias Rebecca. 

“I don’t understand. None of this is in English.” She looked up to Bernard trying to follow where this was going. The passport was unreadable to her. Most of the other documents were stamped with the Russian seal from the Embassy. She was having a hard time putting two and two together. She watched as Bernard pulled out an American passport from the inside of his suit jacket and held it between his hands.

“Before I continue. I need to know you swear to not repeat a word that takes place in this room.” He eyed her hard.

“Boss? You know my loyalty lies to the agency.” She shook her head slightly feeling extremely uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going.

“I swore an oath this evening. And I am going to make you swear to me on your life, that you will do as I say. And that this job will take precedence over anyone, anything, and everything else IAA gives you. Do you understand Karen?” He would leave this room if she hesitated. He would not risk Niko’s safety or break the oath he made to him. This was the tipping point for him and his relationship with his rising star agent.

“I swear it. On my life, nothing that takes place in this room will leave my lips unless instructed by you and only you. My partner will know nothing of this. I give you my word that this mission will be the only mission in my life.” She held her hand out to take the passport he held.

He nodded his head to her declaration. It would suffice for now. “The information you are to receive is stolen and does not exist. You do not know where you heard it, and you never got it from me or IAA. This is like plutonium, an atom bomb about to destroy everything in its path. And it will take both of us down if it gets in the wrong hands.” He pushed his glasses up his nose and did his best to get his point across.

“You mean Niko’s hands?” Her voice was quiet. She recognized their old code word for Niko, _plutonium_. He was just like the radioactive material. He killed anything and anyone who got in his path. And he was the only one likely to explode with what she was picking up and gathering.

“Yes.” He passed her the passport and watched as she held it between her hands unsure of opening it, “She came here to be with family. Fell in love with someone by the name of Lenny Petrovic.” He leaned forward on the stool and lowered his voice. He didn’t need his voice to carry through the thin walls of their black ops site.

“ _No…_ ” Karen whispered as the realization dawned on her full force. She immediately flipped open the American passport that had been granted to Rebecca before being voided due to criminal activity. She turned it to be able to read the name, and felt her insides squeeze in panic. A tightness formed in her throat and she swallowed thickly. Her hands trembled as she brought the passport closer to her face.

“Niko only knows her as innocent, flirty, over the top Rebecca. FIB has her flagged as the coldest member of the Russian Petrovic crime family, having been with Lenny for so long. But to the IAA- she’s _…_ ” Bernard began, watching as Karen squinted in the dark at the passport close to her face to see the small printed name better.

“ _Natalya Vera…”_ Karen swallowed as she read the name aloud, raising her horror stricken eyes to meet her boss.

_“Rascalov”_


	7. Liquidize the Assets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it’s taken me a little longer to get this chapter posted. I hit horrible writer’s block, and I think I changed the chapter around twelve times before getting somewhat satisfied with it. Lots of things are going to start happening in the story, and there will be some back and forth parts. I suck soooo much at writing action scenes, so bear with it. I’ve also reread this story and noticed some errors in previous chapters, so I’ll try to go back and fix those. For some reason it didn't copy over right and changed the formatting in some sections. Sorry about that!
> 
> Let me know what your thoughts are! This is my first go at writing a fanfiction. So any kind of feedback, notes, pointers, encouragement, even disapproval, is welcomed. Are the chapters too long? Should I have broken them down into smaller sections so it’s easier to read? I’ve been trying to keep every chapter to the same length of words. The goal is 32,000. That way the story moves along and the wait between chapters at least feels worth it. I hope. Lol 
> 
> Enjoy!

The warmth that pressed against her body made her want to melt. She shuffled back into it and let out a content sigh. The soft fluff that cradled her head and face brought comfort to her exhausted mind. She turned more fully into the cloud that surrounded her and burrowed down into it, reaching behind her to pull the warmth back against her body. She mumbled around her words and tumbled back into the inky blackness of sleep.

Niko felt her move many times during the night. And each time it would wake him up alarmed that she was about to have a nightmare. And every time, she would just get comfortable again and pass back out. They had shifted at some point from their first position when sleep took them both. She now laid on her side, face buried in one of his pillows, their legs tangled together, and his body pressed fully to her. He tucked is arm down around her and gently cupped one of her breasts. He pulled her flush against him and adjusted the blankets to keep her safe and warm.

He had never imaged their first time would have gone down that way. And what they had shared had been wonderful. He placed a kiss down on the top of her shoulder before burrowing his face into her hair trying to fall back asleep. But his thoughts kept slipping back to how her warmth felt wrapped around him. How perfect their bodies molded together. How much he wanted to sink down inside her again and feel that connection with her.

Sex had always just been a physical act to him. He never shared deep emotional ties with his past partners. But with Kate? It was like getting to experience an entire body high. He had never felt so close to someone before. If this is what Roman boasted about having with Mallorie then maybe he should have taken his advice sooner and just jumped all in from the start…

‘ _No that wasn’t an option and you know it… I knew something felt off about Rebecca. Dimitri must have figured out where I lived and hired her to keep tabs. Makes complete sense as to why the poison was sent here, why she was so hostile with Kate, and why she was fishing Roman for details… about… NO! The wedding! Fucking idiot!’_ He was fully awake now. He needed to know the details that Roman had given her.

“ _Mmm Niko._ ” Kate murmured sleepily and pressed herself back into him.

That caught his attention. He brushed his thumb over the soft peak of the breast he had cupped in his hand. He felt himself start to harden between them and groaned as his need started to grow. He placed a couple more kisses to the top of her shoulder wishing she would wake up so they could mess around some more. To distract his mind from the darker thoughts that wanted to build.

Kate’s dreams had shifted back to Niko and she felt herself clench in anticipation. The coil she had grown accustom to tightened below her navel and she arched her back, pressing her bare flesh against the warmth she felt. She turned her head toward the groan she heard in her dream and let out a sigh. His hands felt so good on her and she wanted nothing more than to surrender to them. She pressed her thighs together to clamp down on the sensations that were whirling around inside her. That’s when she felt a slickness between her legs.

Niko flicked his thumb across her nipple causing it to harden under his ministrations. He pressed his member firmly to the soft skin of her butt, grinding himself on her. He closed his eyes as the feel of her skin against his made his insides quiver. He felt her grind back into him in response and he moaned softly against the smooth flesh of her neck, placing an open mouth kiss over a small blood blister.

“Niko? Niko are you awake?” Kate whispered lowly into the dark bedroom of his apartment. She glanced down the bed toward the large industrial window and couldn’t see the moon or the sun.

“Even if I wasn’t, I’d still be this turned on by you.” He released her breast and reached down between them, lifting her leg slightly, and positioned himself along her folds, dragging himself over her. Her juices greeted him, and he dropped his head back onto the pillow. “And I could say the same for you.” He groaned the words out, trying to remember to speak in a language she understood.

She adjusted in the position they were in and angled herself so he could catch her entrance as he moved along her. She lowered her hand and guided him to her, wanting to feel him again. “Please Niko?” She hesitated, anxiety gripping her, as she felt fear overtake her. Would he want to have sex with her again? Was he completely coherent?

“I thought you’d never ask.” He whispered the words against her ear before nibbling on her earlobe. He thrusted his hips up to her and buried himself inside her. She felt tighter than before and he felt his toes curl at the feel of it all.

“Yes Niko. Please.” The quickness startled her, and she felt a small amount of pain radiate through her body. She stiffened as he entered her so abruptly, trying to get used to the feel again. She could feel him throb inside her and she squeezed back against him, testing her muscles, and exploring what she could do to make it more enjoyable for them both.

“I could do this every day, so many times a day- Just loving you and your body.” He kept his voice soft, soothing, and calm. He had felt her go rigid with his entry and allowed her to adjust to him. He hadn’t meant to be rough, but she was driving him wild with how good she felt. He set a slow pace of gently rocking in and out of her, wanting to feel every single inch of her against him.

“Is that so?” She turned her face in order to see him in the darkness.

“Yes.” He leaned over her and kissed her lips as she moved to meet him halfway.

Kate pressed herself back into him, causing him to roll on to his back, sliding out of her in one movement. She rolled over and propped herself up on her side before swinging her leg over him. She climbed over him, successfully straddling him. She took his hands as he reached for her and pinned them to the bed next to his head, “And what if _I_ wanted to love you and your body every day?”

His eyes darkened when she pinned him to the bed, disliking having his hands not free to roam over her body, but her words struck through the lustful haze of his mind. “You have my attention, Лепа ( _Lepa),_ what do you plan to do?” He lifted his eyebrow at her. She was always surprising him with her boldness and fiery spirit that kept showing up at random times. She had been so willing, so accepting of his affection earlier in the night. And now she was taking charge? He felt the smirk pull at his lips.

“What I want with you.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his smirking lips. She ground herself down over him, wanting him to know that she wasn’t going to leave him waiting. She pushed herself up away from him, breaking off their building kiss, and pressed her hand to his chest in warning. She waited for him to calm down, before sliding her hand down his body, lifting herself off of him slightly, and guided him to her entrance. She pressed the tip against her and found the best angle before slowly lowering herself over him.

Her head fell back at the new angle, loving the way it pushed against her walls. She slid down him to the hilt and sat there for a moment, needing to adjust to how full she felt. She dropped her head forward wanting to see his face, needing to know she was doing this right. She assumed eventually her hesitancy, fear, and inadequacy would pass with time. She rocked her hips and felt the quiver of her muscles as the new sensation surged up her spine. She placed her hands against his firm chest and used him as leverage to be able to lift herself, before slamming down on him. A tiny “Oh!” escaped past her lips as the pleasure of the position burned to life in her veins.

“This what you want?” His accent thickened and he felt her flutter around him. She was unbelievably hot to him in this moment. She was using his body for her pleasure, and he couldn’t find an ounce of strength to want to stop her. He slid his hands up her gorgeous legs and cradled her hips, helping lift her up him, before pulling her back down. She set a heated rhythm, that was rapidly building him up to go.

“I-I want- I wan-want!” She took in a large gasp of air as she rode him, trying to steady the wild beat of her heart, “I want to fuck you!” She had never been one to cuss in such a way. Sure she told people to fuck off, but never used the term for its generic meaning. Her body was humming with a renewed need, and she needed him to quell it.

Her words turned the smolder into an inferno inside him, and he thrusted up to her on her downward strokes. He gripped her hips roughly and helped her pound him, again and again, over, and over, loving the sound of their flesh meeting. “Come for me Kate. Fuck me how you want!” He moaned the words loudly into the silence of the apartment, picking up the pace of their passionate loving making.

Her moans became labored as she exerted herself, her wrists were starting to hurt, and she pushed off his chest and used her legs to continue her thrusting. But she wasn’t quite used to the action and was slowing her movements. She must have shown her frustration as Niko took over for her and moved her body to a more comfortable position.

“Do you trust me?” Niko practically barked the words out. He had seen the flash of pain flicker across her face as she pushed off of him, watching her rub at one of her wrists. He could tell she was reaching past her pain threshold. He had an idea, a way to get them both to finish quickly, but he wasn’t sure where her comfort level resided.

“With my life.” Kate moaned as he continued to thrust up into her. She was getting close, but the change in position was lessening the friction she desperately wanted.

“Stop me if you are uncomfortable.” He took her declaration as acceptance, and sat up on the bed, dropping her down into his lap. They connected in such a way that caused him to pause in his haste to get her into a new position. Her arms looped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her, while her legs folded around his hips. They were joined together so closely. She was breathing heavily, her eyes searched his for the reason for his stalling, and she kept running her fingers through his hair.

“I love you.” He breathed the words against her lips before pulling her to him, placing a tender kiss to her. Their lips fused together as they continued to kiss one another. He ran his hands up her back and into her hair wanting to save this moment in his mind forever. He felt her rock against him, and he dragged his hands back down her body to direct her hips to grind.

She broke the kiss needing air, “I love you too.” She kissed his lips, before trailing down to his neck. She began to suck on his flesh, wanting to leave her own marks to him. If he could claim her as his own, couldn’t she? He picked up the pace of grinding her over him as she paid special attention to the spot just above his collarbone.

He rolled them to the side, dropping her back to the bed, keeping them connected through the change in position. He pulled almost completely out before diving back in. “Just say the word, and I’ll stop.” He kissed her lips before lifting off of her. He watched the confusion build on her face, not understanding what he was about to do. He saw her nod her consent, and he lifted off of her and lightly rolled her to her stomach.

“Oh!” She was so thankful for the darkness because she could swear her whole body turned beet red as realization dawned on her. She lifted up to her knees, but kept her arms folded on the bed, letting her weight shift to her forearms and elbows. She pulled her hair over her head and glanced over her shoulder sending him a smirk. She may have been naive, but she knew of certain sexual positions, and was too shy to ask to try this way. She lowered to the bed and arched her back, sticking her butt out. “Is this what you are wanting to do?”

Niko was too stunned for words. He figured he was going to have to walk her through the positioning, take it slow, and gage her reactions- but this? This?! This was beyond his wildest dreams about her. She had all but assumed the position and was striking a sexy little pose to boot. He feared the position would trigger something for her. She wouldn’t be able to see him, and it was a rather confining position to be in. Wasn’t she worried about a flashback? The longer he sat back on his calves, the more worried she started to look.

“You just amaze me.” He knew he needed to move before she started to doubt herself, and he did not want to be the cause of her self-doubt. He moved behind her and ran his tip over her folds. “If it hurts, or I go too hard, tell me?” He ran his hands over her ample bottom, having a surreal moment to himself.

“I’ll let you know, now please! I was so close before…” She lowered further to the bed, pushing herself back against him, trying to get him to enter her.

Niko pressed himself to her opening and sank down completely. He gripped her hips as the walls became impossibly tight around him. He heard her moan as he fully entered her, loving the sound of her voice. He almost didn’t want to move, as the erotic view, the warmth, and the closeness he felt was just too perfect. But then she shifted forward, pulling away from him, before sliding back toward his body. The movement was enough to snap him out of his thoughts.

“Do you need it slow?” He dragged himself in and out of her, relishing in how she almost squeezed him as he left as if asking him not to go. His hands roamed over her back and hips, wanting to distract her from any pain that he could be causing.

“Nooooo…” She moaned into the pillow that she grabbed with her hands. He was rubbing her in all the right places, setting her skin ablaze with his hands, and twisting the coil so tight it felt ready to release. “Faster Niko.”

“I believe you used a word earlier. I don’t think I remember it.” He kept his movements restrained and slow, torturing her with the languid way he loved her.

“Maybe you should jog my memory?” She knew what he wanted to hear. And if he thought he could get away with teasing her, then the game was on. She clenched her hands into the pillow, thankful his pistol was still in the bathroom and not under the pillow she was currently using to muffle her moans.

“Mm. I think it had something to do with what you wanted.” He picked up the pace with his words, only to still his hips when she tried to rock back into him.

“But this is something you wanted.” She turned her face to the side and shifted one of her hands down to where they were joined. She had an idea, one she wasn’t sure he would like, but then again, she had no clue what was and wasn’t acceptable. She clamped her walls as hard as she could to keep him distracted as she slid her hand further back to cup his sack. They were somewhat firm, and she carefully rubbed her palm over them. “And I believe the term you are looking for, is _fuck_.” She moaned the last word out as she massaged him with her hand.

“ _I’m going to fuck you so hard._ ” His mind slipped and he groaned the words out as she rubbed him. He couldn’t hold back any longer. She asked for it, so he would give it to her. He pulled back before slamming into her. He set the pace quickly, making sure he hit as deep as he could with every stroke into her. Her voice was growing in volume as he continuously pounded in her before it became muffled. He cracked his eyes open to see she had buried her face into his pillow. He leaned down over her and jerked the pillow out from under her. “I want to hear you.”

“Please Niko! Harder!” She cried the words out. She was ready to burst and she was losing control of her voice and body. Everything burned, tingled, and pulsated. Her breathing was haggard as he kept up the pace. Every time he would hit her walls, it would cause her to slip forward on the bed. She slid her legs out more trying to brace herself against him as to not lose the friction he caused. His hands landed on her thighs, pulling her more open, and firmed against them to help her. He was so attentive, and she had to smile at how well he read her body.

“Use. Use the headboard- for leverage.” His heart was thundering away in his chest, pumping hot blood through his body. He was starting to sweat with the exertion, but he would not slow down till he finished. Her tight channel kept squeezing him, making it more and more addicting to keep going. Her hand on him was driving his need higher, and he clutched her thighs to keep from slapping the cheeks that bounced against his body. He would need to discuss things with her about what she was comfortable with, and what things he longed to do with her. He watched as she moved her free hand to brace against the headboard.

“I’m close Niko. Go with me.” She was panting heavily. Everything felt primed to just simply explode. She just needed something more to get her there.

He could see her tensing up. Her body language giving him the impression that something wasn’t happening to help push her over the edge. He dragged his hands up her thighs, over the rounding of her butt, to place one firmly to the small of her back. Forcing her to stay in one position, at one level. The other he moved up her body to cup one of her breasts.

“Relax and let me help.” He tweaked her stiff peak between his thumb and pointer finger. The action causing her to arch to the right angle. He circled his arms around her body, holding her in the position, and fiercely bucked into her. He lifted her upper body from the bed and caged her to him. He sucked down on the spot of her neck he knew she liked.

His name fell from her lips in rising volume. Her eyes closed as the orgasm flared to life in her body, shooting ecstasy to every cell of her being. She moved her hair out of his way to allow him better access, holding it above her head. His hands landed on her chest and massaged them before he met his end. Together they both fell down to the mattress spent.

“Wow…” Kate whispered into the suddenly quiet room.

“I’ll say…” Niko rolled off of her body to the side to give her the chance to take a full breath. She immediately turned to snuggle into his side. He shifted his body to get comfortable before pulling her up to where he liked her to rest. He tugged the sheets over their rapidly cooling bodies. As the glow of completion slowly faded, more negative thoughts began to crawl back into his mind.

“Niko?” Her voice was quiet and timid.

“Yes?” He shook his head and tried to remove the cold blue eyes of Rebecca from his mind.

“You know I trust you to not hurt me when we are intimate.” She turned in his arms to be able to see his face. Meeting his dark brown eyes with her own.

“So long as you promise to stop me or tell me when something is bothering you. It would kill me to know I was doing something you didn’t like, and I found out after the fact. Or I had hurt you, and you kept that from me. We are building this relationship quickly. And I just need to know you will be honest with me.” He searched her eyes knowing he’d get an honest answer there.

“We may be crossing hurdles quickly. Faster then I think we would have normally gone. But I just can’t face the world without you. In such a short amount of time I’ve become so reliant on you. I could say it was building up to this point before what happened, happened. Niko I am so inexperienced. I don’t know what I like or don’t like. I’ve only ever had sex twice now. And both times were with you. You lead, I follow.” She tilted her head to the side hoping that was the answer he needed to hear. When he only continued to stare back at her, she let out a long sigh. “Yes. I will tell you if you hurt me.” She lifted her eyebrow when she saw the small smile spread on his lips.

“I am in so much trouble.” Kate huffed dropping her face to his chest.

“Mmhmm. I can read you now. So open to me. So easy to decipher. But I want your words. Just because I know what you’re thinking or feeling, doesn’t mean I don’t want the verbal confirmation.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear and cupped her bruised cheek, bringing her back up to be able to see her again.

“Loyalty, honesty, and trust. Who knew Niko was so easy to figure out?” She leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his lips. “You have my loyalty.” She kissed him again, “You have my honesty,” once more she placed a tender kiss to his lips, “And you have my trust.” She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, loving how he responded to her.

“There is only one other thing I need from you.” He returned every kiss she placed upon him, keeping his hand on her cheek.

“You need only ask, and I’ll give it.” She tilted away from his face and cupped the back of his hand that he had placed against her face. She pulled his hand away from her and shifted her body to be able to see the tattoo on his arm. She trained her eyes on his face as she moved closer to the boxy lettering to place a small kiss to it. She did not understand what took place at dinner with the strange words, the showing of weapons, or the exchange of alcohol. But something about this tattoo held a deeper meaning to him.

He watched as she kissed his ‘freedom’ tattoo. The action meant more to him then she could ever fathom. In a sense, she was showing him that there was a freedom with her. That he could let go and be himself around her. While he would shelter her from the dangers and evil of the outside world, she would protect his heart and offer him true freedom and happiness.

He pulled her back up to his face and placed a passionate kiss to her swollen lips. He softened the kiss before pulling away. “You are the best thing in my life. I fear once we leave this bed, and have to face the world, our foundation will be shaken. There are things you need to be made aware of. Things, I pray, will not make you hate me. I only have one thing to ask of you, and that’s for your love.”

“When I shared my body with you, I shared every part of me with you. I am not perfect, and I will be a challenge at times for you. I assume things will not always be blissful happiness. I am prepared for that.” She shuffled up the bed to be able to press her body fully to his, needing the comfort he provided. “I do love you. And while I could easily say I could spend the rest of my life with you, I feel like you need time to be able to come to your own conclusions on our relationship. I won’t stray from you if that’s what you are worried about?”

“Not so much you leaving, but that I will take too long to meet you at the same level. I don’t know how to love Kate. I’ve never meant something to someone before, nor have I allowed myself to want someone in my life. I am a loner. And for most of my life, that has served me well. But I see what we have. I feel what we have. It scares me, while also making me happy. That will be my biggest struggle.” He chose his words carefully. Hoping he wouldn’t stumble too bad.

“Just as I am inexperienced with the physical side of relationships, you are inexperienced with the emotional side. We can work together to find an even ground. One that allows us to find what we need in each other, while also strengthening our bond. It won’t be easy at times. I know that. But for right now, in this moment, I am happy. I am content, I am in love, and I am thoroughly satisfied.” She kissed his cheek and snuggled down to her favorite spot against his body. “And I wish to spend these next few hours ignoring the rest of the world and enjoy the quiet peace we have been gifted.” She knew they would need to talk about what happened before they entered his apartment. Rebecca’s outburst and attitude were confusing, and she figured Niko could answer her questions. She also wanted to confirm or unconfirm her fear of the man on the motorcycle being the guy she knew from her past.

“Let us enjoy this while it lasts. For once the sun rises. Things will start up again. I will protect you Kate. You have my word. I love you.” He helped her settle down on his body to be able to rest comfortably. He would spend the next few quiet hours sorting out his feelings and thoughts about his newfound purpose in life. Before needing to sort out the new discovery in Rebecca.

“I love you too, Niko. Wake me when it’s time to leave for Bernie’s. I want to look my best for you at the wedding.” She tiredly whispered the words against his chest, placing a few light kisses to his skin.

‘This is how I think you look best. In my arms in the afterglow of our love making.’ He closed his eyes and held tight to the woman who had worked her way into his cold heart.

aaaaaa

The morning air was cold against her body. The sun had yet to break the horizon and it gave the exterior of the prison a bleak look. She sat in the borrowed Alderny police cruiser, unable to move. The file, passport, and conversation with her boss had increased the level of stress in her life tenfold. Karen had spent the rest of the night in her office at ULP, researching what she could on Dimitri’s cousin. Which there wasn’t much to go on.

“Typical. Petrovic family crime tends to be ignored in favor of fall guys and other organized criminal families.” Karen mumbled in the cool interior of the vehicle. But one case had caught her attention and was what she was scrolling through on the laptop in the car. It was all in Russian and she had to use a translator application to be able to understand it.

Rebecca was completely unhinged. A deranged psychopath, who only wanted to harm those who crossed her and her family. She killed people on a whim. So much of her violence had been covered up by the Russian embassy. At first, she thought she was a possible undercover agent for her homeland, but once she started uncovering more sinister crimes, that notion was mute.

Natalya Vera Rascalov was a ruthless female. She adored her only surviving family through her cousin. They wrote to each other, and Dimitri had convinced her to move to Liberty. It hadn’t taken long before she was mixed into the fold of organized crime. She offered her services to Mikhail and Dimitri easily. Taking out rival loan sharks, drug lords, and factions. It was how she met Lenny.

Karen had discovered that their relationship was very well known to those involved in the Russian crime syndicate. It was almost like royalty. The protection and respect given to her and heir apparent to the Petrovic family was untouchable. Their engagement was imminent, and should Kenny pass, Lenny would take over the most powerful family in the country. Then Niko had to go and kill Lenny. Karen scoffed at the realization and the sheer bad luck Niko had when it came to these people. He had unknowingly taken the power right out of Natalya’s hands, and given it to Lenny’s sister at Kenny’s passing. 

Lenny had kept Natalya in line while she was stateside. Giving her focus, and outlets to her vices. They had fallen so hard for one another. So when Lenny was killed, her anger consumed her. It set Natalya on a very dark and dangerous path. And it wouldn’t surprise her if Natalya had been the one to plan Kate’s fate, not Dimitri. Dimitri had the means, and Natalya would take control. Karen could almost see the explosion of rage that would have come out of Natalya when Dimitri gave her the news of Lenny’s death. 

Karen watched as the next shift began to arrive at the prison. Quickly she pulled up the schematics of the prison and gave them a once over before deleting the computers search history and closed the laptop. Quietly she opened the car door and emerged into the chilly morning air, pulling her long coat around her body. The air was crisp and herald the changing of the seasons, as well as the beginning of a new day in Liberty City. Morning dew clung to the bits of grass, parked vehicles, and dripped from the gutters of the Alderney State Correctional Facility. It was a dreary scene, and only soured her mood more. She set her watch and checked her comm in her ear. She heard the double beep indicating her boss was listening in.

“ _Off the record, I think this plan is going to be a shit show. But it’s the best we got. I’ll watch your back as best I can. But you are on your own to get this done.”_

“It’s our best shot. Their timeline has bound to have been shifted and changed. The hit wasn’t successful.” Karen adjusted the earpiece to fit better and give a clearer reception.

“ _Be careful agent. In and out. No incidents.”_

“Copy that.” Karen ran her fingers through her hair to cover her ears and adjusted her coat before walking off toward the building. Guards moved toward a side entrance to check in, and she followed them easily keeping her distance. This was going to be the first of many stops on her early morning tasks. She needed to get things rolling in order to secure the safety of the McReary Clan, and the upcoming wedding.

“ID and weapon check.” A burly guard stood behind the bullet proof glass window of a check in desk. He eyed the female who had moved up to his line of sight and did a double take. “You’re not a guard here.”

“How astute of you. I’m here to see inmate 7142858. Official business.” She tucked her hands into her coat pocket and tried not to roll her eyes at the man.

“Sorry no visitors. Visiting hours are from 0900 to 1800, and you have to use the main gate entry. Please leave, or I will have you escorted out.” He waved her off and motioned to the guard behind her to step up.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” She pulled out her badge and slapped it flat against the glass so the man would see her ID and credentials, “I’m here to see inmate 7142858, and you are going to let me in now.” She was getting irritated and just wanted to get this visit over with. The cold was biting at her injuries and making her uncomfortable. 

“Let her in! For fucks sake John! Do you not realize the shit storm we are about to deal with? We had a favor come in last night from them, and she’s here to retrieve it right?!” A younger male guard ran into the small check in room and immediately slapped the buzzer to let Karen enter the building, making eye contact with the IAA agent, before glaring at the check-in guard. “Honestly read the damn notes!”

“Thank you. And yes. No records, right?” She clipped the badge back into her waistband and tucked her hand back into her pocket. She nodded to the younger looking guard and answered his unspoken question. Jason would be extracted and there would be no record of him ever being there.

“Yes ma’am. Prisoner 7142858 is in cell block ten, cell 1030. Would you like an escort?” The man watched as she entered the building and came to stand at the inside window to the check in booth.

“Just to the cell block. Our conversation needs to be off the record. Will a transport be necessary?” She placed her weapon down on the counter, and slid it under the small opening, to be checked in. She knew procedure and would surrender her pistol in order to enter the prison. But hoped that would be as far as she was checked.

“It’s possible. We haven’t gone by since inspection last night. We can have transport standing by.” The guard marked her weapon on the log and gave her a tag number, before placing the pistol down into a cubby bin.

“I’ll request one if needed. Thank you for your corporation.” She nodded and took the guest badge that was slid over to her on the counter, “Lead the way officer.” She motioned for him to exit the room and guide her toward the cell block. She clipped the badge on the collar of her coat before moving over to the door to wait for him to join her.

“ _Don’t press your luck.”_

She pretended to tuck her hair back behind her ear and tapped on the earpiece in order to let her boss know that she had heard his comment. She glanced back toward the officer as he moved around in the security office. Silently the guard disabled the security cameras for cell block ten and exited the room to guide the IAA agent to where he had deposited Jason earlier. He knew someone would be by to pick up the body and was somewhat relieved it was going to be before the full changing of the guard took place. Too many questions, too few answers to give. He quickly exited the room and walked over to the agent. He stood a little taller and adjusted his uniform to lay correctly against his body. He motioned forward and turned to lead her toward cell block ten.

“IAA thanks you for your help in this matter.” Karen walked alongside the young guard and couldn’t help the smirk that pulled at her lips. ‘ _He looks so thrilled to be talking to an IAA agent.’_

“No thanks needed ma’am. You call, we answer. That is the way of things. I heard some of what took place. Would not surprise me if a body bag is needed. Either way, I can get you out the back entrance. To avoid being seen if needed.” He glanced to the attractive female who had a slight limp to her gait. 

“That would be most favorable. What is your name officer?” She stopped walking once she was satisfied they were out of earshot of any other guards or prisoners. Maybe she could use him to get her plan into action.

“Gary ma’am. Yours?” He smiled when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Michelle. It was really nice of you to help out. That poor female…” Karen trailed off and lowered her gaze trying to seem disheartened and distraught. ‘ _That’s right, take the bait idiot.’_

“No female deserved to be assaulted like that. Was she a friend?” He took her hand from his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“A close friend. Jason had almost succeeded in- in…” She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes tightly, being sure to bring a hand to her mouth for dramatic effect.

“ _If you weren’t an agent, you could have a career in acting.”_ Bernard dead panned in her ear and nearly snorted.

Karen shook her head and hid the small smile below her hand, trying to keep her act going for the officer she was trying to bring under her ruse.

“Shh. It’s okay. No need to repeat such atrocities. I’m sure Gerry finished off the job. Dude is one ruthless man.” He placed his hands on Karen’s shoulders trying to offer comfort. He felt a pang of concern bloom in his heart. He had been transferred to this prison years ago from his southern home and was having trouble adjusting to the cold and aloof personalities of the people in Liberty. So seeing someone have an emotional reaction to crime was a welcomed sight, especially a fellow officer of the law.

“ _Thank you_.” She whispered and wiped at her eyes. ‘ _Hook, line, and sinker!’_ She glanced up to Gary and gave him a small smile. “Would you mind giving me a few minutes alone in Gerry’s cell to take out my own anger?”

“Take all the time you need. Just know that guard shift change is fast approaching. Wouldn’t want you to have to answer a barrage of questions once I’m off shift.” He squeezed her shoulders and removed them from her. He had his suspicions that this was the high ranking agent would had requested this favor. And whoever she was, he would grant her, her wish. “Do you need me to stand by in case Gerry tries to harm you?” His eyes widened considerably as the thought dawned on him.

“Gerry and I go back. His sister was a close friend of mine. He knows me. No need to stand watch.” She nodded and hesitated before lightly placing her hand on his shoulder, “But maybe once I’m done… You and I can spend time together? Unless I’m overstepping?” She immediately removed her hand from him, trying to look concerned that he may be a taken man.

“Not at all! I’ll be off work with the change. I wouldn’t mind listening to whatever you need to talk about. I know this must be very difficult on you.” His gaze softened at the pretty female.

She placed her hands on both of his shoulders and closed the space between them, making her movements smooth, as she placed a tender kiss to the scruff of his cheek, teasing him with the nearness. She felt his arms circle her waist and she tucked her face down into his neck, slipping her own arms around him. ‘ _That’s right, fall head over heels.’_ “I’m sorry. I’m just all over the place. Kindness is so hard to come by in this city.” She whispered against his flesh.

“I’ve been called kind most of my life.” He pulled her into a tight hug and felt his own heart quicken. He was excited at the thought of getting to take Michelle out for coffee, or breakfast, or wherever once he got off work. 

“Then maybe it was fate that you were the one my partner met last night for drop off.” She leaned out of his grasp and slid her hands down his body, deftly plucking his ID scan card from his belt, tucking her hands back into her pockets.

“Fate is always a tricky mistress. Shall I get you to Gerry’s cell?” He motioned forward and held his arm out for her to take.

“ _Where is this guy from?! A rom-com?”_

Karen let a bright smile bloom across her face and fought to control the laugh that wanted to burst from her, “Yes please. I’d like to finish up quickly.” She nodded to Gary and let him lead her through the many halls toward the cell block she knew Gerry and Jason waited. She let some of her weight pull on his arm in order to get some relief for her leg. The longer she stood, the worse her control got over her walking. 

They came to a security door and Gary waved to the guard inside the monitoring room signaling him to open the heavy metal door. “I’ll get you past the sliding bar door, then it will be only you in the hall. Just wave down to me when you are ready to leave, and I’ll escort you back to get your sidearm.” They walked through the open metal door and waited for the bar door to slide open fully.

“Thank you again Gary. I’ll let you know when I’m done. And hopefully I won’t need a stretcher and body bag.” She scrunched up her face in mock disgust.

“Knowing Gerry, it was a blood bath.” He chuckled at the expression and watched as she turned to face the hallway. “Open cell 1030 for morning inspection.” He called out to the guard in the monitoring room. “I’ll wait inside with him, and make sure the monitors don’t record.”

“You really are too kind.” Karen smiled for him and turned to walk down the prison cell hallway. Most of the inmates were still sleeping and she was grateful for the silence. But at the same time, she wished for some noise, as Gerry was bound to not play along with her plan. And if Gary got the wrong impression, it would throw her entire plan out the window.

“ _You’re clocked at ten minutes so far. Guard change takes place at exactly 0600. You have only 15 minutes to get him out of there before our window closes.”_

“Copy that.” Karen whispered lowly and checked the surrounding cells to see if the inmates were sleeping or paying attention to her.

“ _And don’t get hot headed. He has a very dangerous temper. You are on your own. I can’t get in there to prevent you from being killed by his hands.”_

“I’ll be fine. Trust me.” She watched as the metal bars slid open to the cell that housed Gerry, the notorious Irish mob leader, and Jason, who she hoped was either dead or unconscious. She sucked in a calming breath and moved into the line of sight to the cell.

“Bout time someone came by…” Gerry looked up from his casual stance against the wall and felt his face faulter. A young, dark haired female in a trench looking coat moved to the opening of his cell. She was petite, pretty, and looked pale. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown and there was a weird understanding that shone in them.

“Hi Gerry. _Long time no see!_ ” She exaggerated her words slightly, hoping he would pick up the ploy. She turned down the hall and raised her hand to Gary letting him know she was alright and to leave the cell door open. She shifted her gaze back to Gerry and sent him a glare when he just stood there unmoving.

“Uh. Yeah. Been a long time.” He narrowed his eyes in warning, not liking where this morning was going, “I’m guessing you had _him_ brought here?” He pointed to the bloody mess on the concrete floor.

“Yes.” Karen edged into the cell and stood close to the metal bars. She would not be able to fight off an enraged Gerry. He towered over her and in her injured state, would stand no chance of winning against him. “Is he dead?” She maintained eye contact with Gerry as she moved to crouch down next to the body. She placed her fingers against his pulse point and felt a small beat. Her eyes widened considerably.

Gerry pointed toward the open cell door, then tapped the side of his head over his ear, wanting to know if they needed to speak a certain way. He crossed his arms and waited to see what this female wanted.

“We have a small window. I have too much to explain, and no time to do it in.” She held out her ID badge to Gerry, “We have two options. And I will only go through with one of them if you swear to me that you won’t kill me. I need help. Your family and Niko are in the upmost trouble and the odds of keeping everyone alive are slim.” She watched as Gerry took the ID badge and read it over quickly before tossing it back to her.

“I don’t work for the government. And I ain’t about to start.” He leaned back into the wall and crossed his arms tightly. His guard had shot up once he saw IAA in big bold letters. That whole organization was nothing but spooks, crooks, and vicious people. And if anyone found out he was associated with the agency; his credibility would be shot.

“No, you daft idiot! I’m giving you the chance to go kill those who killed your mother and attempted to rape your sister!” Karen had zero reaction time as the hand closed around her throat and was lifted off the ground. Her feet dangled just off the floor and she flailed about trying to get out of his hold. Her hands closed around his wrist in a desperate attempt to free herself, clawing at his skin.

“And why should I listen to an IAA agent? You always have other motives.” He brought her dangerously close to his face and bored his eyes into hers. “You have the eyes of a liar.” He sneered at her, tightening his hold on her neck.

“Niko. Kate. _Packie_. They are in danger!” She wheezed out, tears coming to her eyes as her windpipe was slowly squeezed shut. She pleaded with him, tapping on his wrist several times. “ _Please! They are going to die!_ ” Her vision was darkening, and she was beginning to doubt her action plan. She felt the fight leave her body in a rush, her attempts at striking his wrist weakening. Her body was chilling rapidly, and she was fading fast.

“ _Report agent. I’m not liking what I’m hearing!”_

The words hit the one sensitive nerve in his body and he unceremoniously dropped the female to the floor in a heap. He moved backward and sat down on the edge of the cot with a thump. Jason had spilled most of his guts about the people who were after his family during their _talk_. Mostly old enemies who had acquired new partners that offered them up as collateral. But the person who had given Jason the funds to kidnap his sister was an unknown. “The IAA in on the attempts to my family?” He fixed his gaze on the gasping, struggling female on the ground.

Karen grabbed at her leg as the weight that crashed down on it caused new waves of pain to start up inside. She struggled to gain her breath and wheezed horribly. Tears threatened to spill, and she fought to keep them from tumbling down her cheeks. This was not how she envisioned their conversation going, and she needed to change her approach quickly. “IAA has no involvement in the death of your mother, nor the attempt on Kate’s life, or the recent one on Packie’s.” She shakily looked up to the man who had almost caused her to fall unconscious and saw the change in his demeanor. ‘ _Bingo.’_

“What about Packie?” Gerry’s gaze darkened and sent a chill down her spine.

She slowly moved to sit up on the floor next to the shallowly breathing body of Jason, “He was poisoned. I tried to save his life. But he was already gone. The EMS team managed to get his heart beating again. He is in the hospital. It was while there at the hospital that a team of Russian mobsters tried to finish off the job. As well as kill your sister, Francis, and Niko.” She took in large gulps of air and pulled out a pill bottle from her inside jacket pocket, taking one out and popping it in her mouth. She undid the buttons on her coat and pulled out several articles of clothing that had been tucked tightly into the lining of her own clothing and coat. She tossed the items onto the cot next to Gerry.

“Is he okay?” Gerry looked at the lightweight sweater, collared polo, and khaki cargo pants. It appeared they were in his size.

“Last I heard he was stable and talked to your sister and brother.” Karen shifted on the ground to look at the area of her leg wound. She didn’t see any blood spots forming and she silently thanked the person who trained her in first aid. She had spent a long time redressing her two wounds in order to be able to wear dress pants. She placed her hand over the bullet wound and closed her eyes wishing for it to quit throbbing. ‘ _Just breath, it will be okay.’_

_“Time is ticking away agent. You need to get him moving now.”_

“You injured?” The voice was much closer to her and she jumped horribly. Her eyes flew open and she fought back a startled yelp at how close Gerry had gotten. She lifted her hands and balled them into fists over her chest. ‘ _For someone so large, he moves so silently…’_

“Gunshot wound during the shootout at the hospital. Caught me twice.” She let out a long sigh trying to slow her heartrate, unclenching her hands in the process. She lowered the coat from her injured arm to show the bandage to him. She had on a sleeveless white dress shirt that was tucked into black dress pants. Her badge was tucked into the waistband of her slacks, and the edge of an empty holster could be made out. 

“You took two bullets for my family?” His voice softened considerably, and he reached out to inspect the bandaged wound. He was mindful to be more gentle, as he had experience with gunshot wounds. He turned her arm in his grasp and felt himself shake his head. Her skin was soft beneath his fingers and he wondered why she was involved in everything that was going on. She looked too young to be a full-fledged field agent. Their eyes met briefly before he lowered his gaze back to the soft white bandage on her upper arm.

“I- you could say that.” She whispered letting her eyes drift away from his face to his body. He was a very handsome man. Strong jaw, large hands, built figure. The prison jumpsuit did not serve him well. He had vibrant red hair, but it wasn’t an obnoxious red, more like a dark subtle red. His face wasn’t clean shaven, having been in prison for a month or so. And his eyes were striking when they connected to her own. She swallowed thickly as she inspected him. ‘ _Handsome, rugged, violent, and good with his hands. Definitely my type. Ugh! Snap out of it!’_

“Thank you. I’m sorry for hurting you. Now you said something about not a lot of time, and possibly a plan?” He sat back on his legs and moved out of her personal space. He did feel somewhat bad for hurting her now that he knew she had been protecting his family when she was shot.

“Yes. I need you out of this kill box. You’re a sitting duck, and if the hit on Packie tells me anything, is that they are getting bold in their attempts to off the McReary’s. You would be an easy target.” She tucked some hair behind her ears trying to work up the courage to do what she came here to do. She had sworn allegiance to her boss, and what she planned to do went against the agency that provided her the badge. She met his gaze again and fought off the blush that wanted to creep onto her face. His boyish smirk was incredibly sexy, and she had to mentally slap herself.

“So? Been beating people senseless since getting in here.” He chuckled, leaning back into the edge of the cot and tilted his head, letting out the McReary charm. “I’ll be fine in these four walls.” He slightly waved around his surroundings.

“But your brothers and sister are not safe. And that’s why I need you out there. My hands are tied in a sense. Yours are not.” She struggled to her knees before attempting to stand. The pull of her muscles in her injured leg had her pausing in her movement and wincing at the pain. ‘ _Definitely going to end up reopening this stupid wound before the day is up!’_

Hands slid under her arms and hauled her up off the floor. Gerry’s eyes met hers as she was lifted to eye level. He gave her a small smile and lowered her carefully to the ground, letting her find her footing. His hands lowered to her waist over her long coat and he pulled the fabric closed. His smirked deepened when he pulled away holding the ID badge of the guard. “So, what’s the plan?”

She let her own smirk pull at her lips seeing him do the same pickpocketing she had done to Gary, “I suggest you get changed. We will need to move fast.”

“Oh so you just wanted a strip show huh? That’s why you came all the way down here? I see how it is.” Gerry lightly laughed and shook his head. He was enjoying the slowly building flustered look that grew on the female’s face. “I didn’t catch your name on the ID. If I’m going to be naked in front of you, I’d like to be on first name basis.” He tossed the stolen ID card to the cot.

‘ _Oh first name basis my ass, what a God damn gentleman…’_ The flush spread across her face and she eyed him up and down. “We will have time for the pleasantries later. Strip down and change.” She did the buttons up on her coat and hobbled over to the cot, slowly lowering herself down to be able to get off her feet, tucking the badge back into one of her pockets.

“And I don’t want your code name, spy name, whatever you call your front. I want your _real_ name.” Gerry bent down and grabbed her face with one of his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes, gently squeezing her cheeks to get his point across. “I will not hesitate to break your neck if you betray me or my family.” He dragged his hand down to her neck and clamped down, not so hard as to alarm her, only enough force to punctuate his words. 

“This how you treat all your females? That why you’re divorced three times?” She darkened her features and tilted her chin up in defiance. She was ready for him now. Her hand in her pocket took hold of her switchblade, getting ready to pull it should he take his threat further.

“You’ve done your homework. Then I shouldn’t remind you of how violent I am.” He moved into her personal space, giving off his best intimidating stance.

“I’ve dealt with violent men in my life. I am not afraid of you. And if you want out of this prison cell, and want to see Kate again, you will follow my lead.” She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her neck. She used his arm to haul herself up from the cot. She was a complete head shorter than him and while the height difference was intimidating, she had a weapon on her. She jerked on his arm and managed to pull him close to her, “And while I don’t mind the rougher side of relationships- I know how to handle myself. Now change into the clothes I brought you and help me get your jumpsuit on Jason.” She heatedly whispered the words through gritted teeth.

“Fine. Keep a look out. Guards should have been by already. Something isn’t right.” Gerry moved away from the agent and went to work on removing his jumpsuit. He had seen the recognition of a battered female and knew his threat of violence was nothing new to her. And as the realization dawned on him that she had been roughed up, he felt a small bit of guilt form in his chest. He had nearly chocked the life from her, and all she had been doing so far was offering him a way out of prison. And she had protected his family while he was stuck behind bars.

“ _He has a point. The shift change should be happening already. Let me check the security feeds and see what’s going on. Standby.”_

“Karen. Karen Daniels. But everyone at this prison thinks I’m Michelle. I’d like to keep it that way.” She turned around toward the metal bars when he unbuttoned the front of his jumpsuit and she had gotten an eyeful of chiseled chest. ‘ _Should have just gone to Johnson’s house and dealt with this stupid sexual tension…’_

“Ha! I knew I’d get it out of you eventually.” Gerry tossed the jumpsuit on the cot and pulled on the cargo pants. They were the right size and it shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did.

“I gave it willingly and in good faith. I need to know I can trust you.” She turned at the sound of a zipper being done up. He was shirtless and it caused her mouth to water, and her eyes to widen.

“Yeah yeah yeah. You saved my family, so I owe you.” He pulled the polo over his head and tucked it down into the cargo pants. “How’d you know my size of clothing?” He glanced at Karen before grabbing the sweater and pulled it over his head.

She lifted an eyebrow at the question. Surely if he knew she was IAA, then it would have been in her best interest to know such trivial things. She crossed her arms under her chest, not sure where this line of questioning was going to end up at.

Gerry saw the look and shrugged his shoulders, “Didn’t think clothing size was relevant to my file.”

“I didn’t read your file. Didn’t need to. Your reputation precedes you. We-” She lowered her gaze and let out a sigh. “After your brother, Francis, had the bodies removed from your mother’s house. I walked the processed crime scene. I was looking for information on this sex trafficking ring I was after. Hoping to find some answers. I thought Kate was marked. I was wrong there. But I walked your old room. That’s where I remember your clothing size from.”

“So if she wasn’t marked?” Gerry fixed the clothing on him and pulled on his prison shoes. She had been fairly forthcoming with information so far, so maybe he could trust her for now.

“Niko has some rather nasty people after him. They were after Kate to get to him. Your mother was an unfortunate casualty.” Karen picked up the jumpsuit from the cot and motioned toward Jason, “We need to get this on him and place him on the cot. He is going to be the new prisoner 7142858. It should give us just enough time to get out of here.” Carefully the two of them lifted an unconscious Jason to the cot and worked the jumpsuit over his clothing. Karen noticed several broken bones in his hand, but the majority of the injuries were to the face.

Gerry threw the thin wool blanket over the body covering the face from view. Jason had only needed a small bit of encouragement before telling him everything he needed to know. He wiped at his face trying to forget some of the finer details that had been given to him over what was to be done to his sister and brothers. He must have looked distraught because Karen placed a hand to his forearm. 

“ _There is a breach. Get your ass moving now!”_

The lights cut out and the sound of the heater shutting down echoed down the hall. The clattering of doors locking into place, random machinery whining down, and an eerie silence descended down upon them.

“Fuck. We have to move _now_!” Karen grabbed Gerry’s hand and tugged him toward the hallway before the metal sliding door shut to his cell. They moved into the empty, dark, hallway. Karen looked both directions before placing her hand to her ear and tapping the earpiece to connect to her boss. She met Gerry’s gaze before speaking into the quietness, “How bad?”

“ _The power was cut. They don’t know your cover. Get out of there quickly. I’ll be on a boat on the West River. Something tells me they are after Gerry.”_ Bernard was switching between security cameras and watched in horror as heavily armed men stormed the front gate and side entrance. He had been monitoring the prison from his offsite office and was rushing to get what he needed together to go rescue his agent. He was close to the dock and would be taking a boat over to collect his agent and Gerry.

“Got it. ETA 15-20.” Karen tapped her comm to signal her end of the conversation and motioned down the hallway away from the entrance she had come in. “We got to move quickly. The Russians might be here trying to take you out.”

Gun fire erupted from somewhere in the prison. It sounded muffled from their position, but it got the two of them moving. Karen took off as fast as her legs would carry her, pulling along a somewhat confused looking Gerry.

Gerry could have easily outpaced her but kept his stride to match hers, “Russians? What do they want with me?” He could see the struggle come and go across Karen’s face as she silently moved down the hall toward another large metal door.

“Not with you, but how it will hurt Niko and Kate. Everything is about them.” Karen tried to keep her breathing even, but she was starting to panic. She had no firearm, no real escape plan, and the gunfire was getting louder. ‘ _Just one shit storm after another. The things I do for you Niko...’_

“So my death or capture would be to hurt them?” He glanced back behind him to see the flashes from guns and picked up his pace.

“Yes.” Karen let out a huff as they reached the metal door. She swiped the ID across the scanner, hoping the backup generator would power the doors. The lights had yet to come back on, and it was all starting to worry her. The scanner beeped and lit up green, causing the door to unlock.

Gerry pulled the heavy metal door opened and ushered her inside first before following behind, pulling the door closed. “You have a plan to get us out? Or are you just going to run in one direction and hope it gets us out?”

“I didn’t have a gunfight planned out! I was going to bring you out in a body bag, pretending it was Jason, and since I had one of the guards under the impression of _something more_ between us, he would be able to bypass typical protocol.” She glanced around trying to get her bearings. There were no signs on the walls or ceiling, and she had rushed through her study of the layout in the car before coming inside.

“Some fucking plan!” Gerry whisper yelled, “So goo-goo-eyed officer was going to just let you pass? What kind of horse shit plan is that?!” He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn to face him.

“It was working right up till the assholes who want you dead showed up. And had I not shown up, you’d be moments away from a firing squad! Now! How do we get to the yard? That should be the quickest way to the border wall that runs along the bank. I have someone on a boat that will pick us up if we can get there.” She slapped his hands from her shoulders, getting ready to defend herself should he attack her.

“No, we need to get to the laundry room. It has an exit that badge should open. It’s on the eastern outer wall, will give us easier access to the West River.” Gerry turned her to the right and took her hand, pulling her along as the sound of gunfire erupted from the other side of the door.

“You think the guards can handle them?” Karen glanced over her shoulder briefly before renewing her efforts to run faster. Her leg was beginning to throb and it was only a matter of time before it forced her to stop.

“It’s a no gun prison. The only ones with guns will be those on the guard towers and those on wall patrol. And until the siren goes off, they won’t leave their post.” Gerry guided them down another hall before turning and sweeping her off her feet mid stride. He took off at a faster pace now that he had her in his arms.

Karen settled in his arms and was trying to find the right words to say. He had simply picked her up and took off running. His show of strength was causing other chemicals to release in her brain, and she shook her head to clear it of whatever schoolgirl crush she was forming. “I’d tell you to put me down, but this is a much faster way to get where we need to go.” She watched the hallways they passed, checking for enemies, prison guards, or scouters.

“Wow no protest. Can you fight if it comes to it? There is no way this is going to be a smooth get away.” Gerry needed to know if she would be able to hold her own if it came down to it. He could easily overpower anyone that came their way, but if they got outnumbered, he didn’t want to have to look out for her.

“Watch out!” Karen hollered as they almost collided with an armed mobster who had started to round the corner, AK47 at the ready. Gerry ducked to the side and immediately dropped her to her feet, letting her go with the action. Karen pulled the switchblade from her pocket and lunged at the armed man. She slapped the weapon to the side, activating the blade to slash the strap free from his body. She yanked on the rifle pulling the surprised man around the corner fully, forcing him to face Gerry. Twisting the rifle in the person’s grasp to an odd angle forced him to release the gun. Swiftly she spun the rifle around and chucked it to Gerry.

Karen placed her foot on the back of one of his knees and used it to boost her up his body, hooking her good leg over his shoulder and around his neck. She grabbed her ankle and swung her body down and around to bring the person to the floor first. She landed on top of his chest and jabbed the switchblade into the chest a couple of times before slashing the throat, keeping her hand over his mouth to silence the gurgling. When the body went limp, she straightened her body and stood up. There was a brief pulling sensation on her leg before the adrenaline kicked in. She wiped the blood from her blade on the sleeve of her coat before retracting it back into the handle. She tucked it into her pocket as she checked the body for movement. The life faded quickly as the blood spread on the concrete floor.

Karen greedily sucked in air trying to calm her shaking hands, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “There will be more where he came from. Let’s keep moving.” She looked up at a stunned Gerry.

Gerry shut his mouth and lowered the rifle that had been thrown his way. He had been prepared to simply shoot the guy, but she had gone all super-agent on him. She had just armed him with a weapon and didn’t seem to think that was a bad idea. He could simply kill her, take the badge, and leave. But watching her fight, then kill, the man who wanted him dead gave him pause. “Right. Remind me to get you to do that again soon. Was extremely hot.” Gerry laughed at the stunned look on her face before turning down the hall they had been heading down.

“You’re impossible! That’s what you go with?!” Karen wiped the sweat from her face and started up a quick pace down the hall toward the laundry room, following closely behind Gerry. Her leg was throbbing and aching under the strain, but she pushed past it. There would be time for resting later.

“What? A man can’t watch something like that and not get slightly turned on. Way too many possibilities. Got to give it to you. Didn’t think you had it in you to kill someone so viciously.” Gerry shifted the rifle in his grip and checked it out. The safety was off, and it was altered to full auto. ‘ _These people aren’t kidding around. Heavy machinery for just a simple hit?’_

“There is lots you don’t know about me, and what I’m capable of. I may not have my weapon of choice, but this will do.” She watched as he easily matched her pace, slowing to be by her side.

“Switchblade should have set off the metal detectors.” He turned down another hallway pulling on her hand to get her to follow him and keep up.

“Didn’t enter the front. Guard’s entrance. No metal detectors. I knew I’d need something. I was entering a madman’s cell.” She smirked up at him when he chuckled again.

“Ah bringing protection. Good idea.” He turned to look forward and lifted his newly acquired rifle, “Down!” He shoved Karen to the wall and fired the weapon, taking out two men that rounded the corner. “They are either closing in, or too spread out. But they will have heard that.” He glanced to Karen who was holding her hand over her bandaged arm.

She jerked her coat away from her arm, looked down to it, and saw that there was no blood forming. She had hit the wall with her injury first and it had stung. She took a few steadying breaths, “Yeah no way they didn’t hear that. How much further?” She corrected her coat, limped over to the bodies, and pulled out a pistol from a holster. She checked it for ammo before tucking it into her empty holster. She reached down and picked up another rifle. ‘ _If it’s a gunfight they want, then a gunfight they will get’_

“Laundry room is up ahead. But I’m getting the impression this place is surrounded.” Gerry followed her lead and picked up the other pistol and a few extra magazines.

“More than likely. Might need to fight our way out. You trained? Or just what you’ve picked up from the streets?” Karen stepped over the bodies and slowly moved down the hall, being more cautious of their surroundings, leading with the rifle at the ready.

“Was never professionally trained. But I can pick up signals easy. Let me lead. You’re already injured.” He moved to her side and pulled her to a stop, making sure she wasn’t more injured due to his shove. He used his thumb to force her chin his direction so she would look at him, sliding his hand back to cup her face. He swore the fire only got more heated in her eyes every time he would touch her.

“Exactly. Let me lead, so if I get further compromised, you can get us both out. Or worse, you can at least get out of here. Don’t forget the mission…” She placed her hand over his that rested on her cheek. “Trust goes both ways. Trust me to get us out, then we can work on me trusting you.” She smiled at his concerned look, removing his hand from her face.

“Okay. Laundry room is two doors down. It will be a mad dash to the riverbank. Hope your friend is there waiting for us.” Gerry stepped back and checked the hallway they needed to cross, seeing no one he moved forward.

She had to roll her eyes as they had just agreed for her to lead, “He will. I trust him.” She quickly moved after him as they neared the laundry room.

“That makes one of us.” Gerry moved to the far side of the laundry room door, turning back to face her. “I have a question once we get inside the laundry room.”

“Reeeaallllyyy.” She sighed and moved to take position to open the door, “On my count, we open the door and shoot anyone inside.” She glanced to him before getting the ID badge ready to swipe across the scanner. He nodded to her command and shifted the rifle to be ready. “One, two, three!” She swiped the badge across the scanner and kicked the door open. She entered quickly moving to the right as Gerry followed her in going to the left.

“Drop the weapons or I kill her!” The only person in the laundry room was an armed intruder holding a female officer who looked rather beat up. Her uniform was open in the front and her pants looked to have been torn. Her face was swollen, and she had been crying.

“She has no importance to us fuckhead.” Gerry yelled out taking aim at the man.

“Yes, she does. Don’t shoot. We will put our weapons down.” She glared to Gerry, lowering her gaze to his waist hoping he’d get the message. She watched as he looked down to her waist as she moved forward to place her rifle down on the nearest table. “See? I’ve dropped my weapon, I am unarmed.”

“Tell your friend to do the same.” He held the woman to his body as a shield, his pistol pressed roughly to the side of her head.

“Gerry come place your weapon down on the table so the nice man will release the officer.” She kept her eyes trained on the Russian. His accent was thick, heavy, and she could tell he didn’t know much English.

“Whatever you say.” Gerry walked forward to the table and leaned into it, placing the rifle down slowly. He smirked toward the man knowing his end was coming. He didn’t dare move from his position.

Karen swiftly pulled the pistol from the back of Gerry’s pants and took aim, firing off once toward the enemy. The man’s head snapped back as the bullet impaled him and his grip loosened on the female. Kate handed the pistol from her holster to Gerry before picking up the rifle from the table. She made her way over to the crying officer and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Will you be alright miss?”

“Thank God! You saved me!” She turned toward the other female and threw her arms around her, letting out a relieved sob.

“Actually. You saved yourself, okay? Here.” She returned the hug before moving away and held out the pistol to the female officer. “We were never here, you managed to get him off of you and shot him with his pistol.” She wiped the barrel and handle clean with her jacket before placing it in the officer’s hand. “I’m IAA agent Michelle, escorting my undercover agent out before these people kill him. Top secret work. I have a cadaver in the cell, that will need to be identified as Gerry McReary, and leaked to the media of the successful hit on the prison. Kill the other intruders. The only citizen death should be Gerry. Do you understand?” She watched as the officer took the gun and fired a couple of times into the dead body.

“I will need gun powder residue on my hand for your plan to work. I’ll work my way back to Gerry’s cell in order to be the one to ‘find him’.” She nodded only once before heading toward the entrance to the laundry room. Before she left, she turned back to the two who had saved her life, “Take the vehicle exit, not the main outside gate, I think there are more of them waiting in the parking lot.” Then she reached over and slammed her hand against the panic button, causing the overhead alarm to sound.

“Come on Gerry. Our ride is waiting for us.” Karen limped toward the large rolling doors for the delivery trucks and pressed the up button on the wall. The large heavy metal door began to rise open, causing the room to be filled with the noise of turning gears and grinding metal. She closed her eyes and took in a few steadying breaths. Her leg was killing her, and she knew she would need every ounce of strength to get to the river and on the boat.

Gerry approached her side, placing a hand to her back as a sign of support, watching as the outside world came into view. “I never thought I’d get to be on the outside again. So, I guess, thanks?” He looked down to the female who had risked her life to free him from prison.

“Don’t thank me yet. There is a long road ahead of us.” She looked up to meet his gaze, giving her best effort to keep her pain a secret from him, and gave him a soft smile, “You might not thank me once the shit hits the fan.” 

“What? Worse than this?” He removed his hand from her, readied his rifle, and peaked outside the door to look for enemies or armed guards.

“Much worse.” Karen moved out into the open and checked the corners, roof tops, and windows for armed assailants; using the iron sights of the AK47 in order to target people that might come into view.

“Will you be able to run to the shoreline? Once we are in the open, we will be moving targets for the snipers.” Gerry followed her lead and watched her back as they made their way to the final exit gate. He had seen the more exaggerated limp as she moved to the garage door. 

“That alarm should have every available gun running to the inside. It’s a riot alarm, right?” Karen moved to the keypad by the gate and started working on pulling the faceplate off. She would need to blow the fuse in order to get the gate to open. The badge wouldn’t work for her now.

“Yeah. They usually keep their focus on the yard. They will be checking tapes?” He stood guard and kept her shielded from view.

“Already taken care of. They will never know I was here. I used a fake name and ID to get in, gave them a weapon that is evidence on a recent crime that will implicate these people I’m after, and I have on rubber appliques on my hands- so no finger prints. I thought of everything I could on how to get you out without notice. I am breaking the law, my oath, and everything I stood for in order to get you out.” She sparked the wires together and heard the loud bang as the fuse blew on the electronic lock for the gate.

“So much trouble for little old me? I’m flattered!” Gerry moved to the gate and lifted the heavy metal bar up out of the locked position.

“Save it for when we are home free.” She smiled to him before dropping her gaze down to the ground. They had gotten lucky with the female officer wanting to help cover their escape. There were small hiccups, but ones that could easily be fixed should they need to be.

“Our escape awaits then!” Gerry turned to look outside the gate and took a longing look at the river he could make out on the other side of the small grass field. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon and turned the sky into an array of pinks, golds, oranges, and blues. It was truly breath taking to see another sunrise on the outside.

“You had a question?” She would get him focused again before making the mad dash across the field to the hopefully waiting boat.

“They have rather modified weapons, decent numbers, and a cynical plan to kill me. It doesn’t strike me as just a simple hit. They would have needed to fight their way out of here, and there is no way NOOSE, FIB, or you guys, would have let them waltz on out of here. Where is the heavy backup for the prison? They should be here by now. Any one of the guards would have hit the silent alarm after the first shot. It’s on the same backup generator as the badge scanners and hall door locks. It doesn’t add up to me.” He took a deep breath and let it out. The morning air was chilly, and it was a welcomed feeling against his face.

“We can discuss this later. And yes. I’m beginning to dread the answer to your questions. NOOSE should have been here long before we made the laundry room. Now. You ready for the fastest run of your life?” She looped her gun’s strap over her shoulders and tucked the items in her jacket pockets down further so her arms and hands would be free should they need to jump to the boat, and nothing would fall out and be left behind.

“Yep. Glorious freedom here I come.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot and stretched his legs. It was maybe a good fifty yards to the shore.

“They are over here!” Someone yelled behind them.

Karen and Gerry took one panicked look at each other before turning behind them to see several Russian mobsters running toward them firing off their guns. Immediately Gerry and Karen took cover behind the large brick pillars that framed the metal gate. Karen sank to the ground and pulled the rifle around to her front, removing the safety, and returned fire on the men. She kept glancing over to Gerry who was on the other side of the gate from her.

“Some fucking sendoff party! Am I right?!” He yelled over the gunfire. He leaned out of cover and shot one of the gunmen down.

“You could say that again!” Karen yelled back, taking out the man next to the one Gerry killed. She tapped at her earpiece hoping her boss was close or could help provide some cover. All she got back was static. “Shit. Must be a jammer.” She whispered to herself.

“We will run out of ammo before we can kill all of them. What’s the plan?” Gerry was getting impatient and was growing concerned with how many more people kept filing out of the prison. It was as if everyone else was dead inside and they had found the target.

“I’m thinking!” Karen’s mind was racing for a way out of the fire fight. Her boss was bound to be close by. They just needed a way to get out of the line of fire quickly.

“I got an idea, but you aren’t going to like it.” Gerry spotted a dirt bike that was leaning against the brick wall of the prison. Why it was there of all places he couldn’t understand. He would be able to get them into the river quickly. He just hoped the Russians were terrible shots. He moved over to the bike and started working on hotwiring it. There were no keys laying around.

“You’re damn right I don’t like it!” Karen watched as he pulled a dirt bike around to face her. He straddled the bike and was tinkering with the wires. ‘ _It’s the only option we got.’_ She flinched as the brick shattered off as the bullets impacted close to her head. “Hurry Gerry! I’m out of bullets!” Her gun clicked as she blind fired around the corner trying to get them to stop shooting.

The bike revved beneath him. He could envision how this would play out; he only hoped to pull it off. Karen looked his direction and nodded. He took off toward her, dashing across the open gate, and extended his arm for her to grab. She stood up rapidly and took his arm as he drove past, her body swinging with the inertia. He pulled her to him and on the bike. Her arms and legs encircled him as he changed direction and took off for the riverbank.

“I’m going to just jump the bike into the river. Can you swim?” Gerry yelled over the noise of the bike and the rushing wind.

“Yes. It’s going to be frigid!” She turned to look back toward the gate, “Shit! They are coming after us. Swerve around!” She clung to him desperately as he drove the bike erratically around trying to dodge the barrage of bullets heading their way. She pulled the gun from his waistband and fired off toward the men hoping to hit at least one of them.

“I see the boat!” Gerry yelled as they neared the shore.

Bernard pulled the boat as close to the shore as he could get without getting stuck. He watched in horror as he saw his agent and Gerry zigzagging along the open field on a motorcycle, while dodging gunfire. He stood up from the captain’s seat and unzipped a black bag, pulling out a combat sniper rifle. He climbed onto the foredeck platform and lined up the gunmen in his sights. The water was unusually clam and he was thankful for it. Adjusting for sway, he fired at the first target, dropping the body easily. He shifted between targets, eliminating them swiftly.

“Your boss is a straight badass!” Gerry jerked the bike back on a direct path toward the shore and the boat. He was going to make a mad dash to the bank and jump them into the river.

“There are still a couple of men alive. Jump into the river and get on the boat as fast as possible. We need to make sure those men don’t live!” She fired behind her and watched as her boss sniped down enemy after enemy.

“Here we go!” Gerry pushed the bike to accelerate to its top speed, popping a small wheelie, and charged the riverbank. The river was rapidly approaching, and he prepared to pop the bike into the air and into the river below. There looked to be a small drop off. He didn’t know the depth of the water this close to shore and he swore at his miscalculation. If they hit shallow water, the landing was going to _hurt_.

Karen tried to mentally prepare herself for the slap of icy water, the force at which they were going to hit the surface of the water, and where the bike was going to land. She kept her eyes trained on the water as it kept getting closer and closer. She took a deep breath, the cold wind stinging her lungs, and let out a shaky breath. ‘ _Fuck this is going to hurt!’_

The bike wobbled wildly, and Gerry lost control. A stray bullet hit the engine and black smoke started to billow out into their view. The bike shook as they flew off the edge of the riverbank. Gerry kicked the bike out from under him hoping to hit the water away from the bike. Karen let go of him and turned in the air to hit the water with her back.

The bite that clamped down all over her body forced her to suck in air, which was followed by salt water. Panic gripped her as her lungs filled with cold water. She thrashed about to get to the surface, looking around in the dark murky water, the pistol slipping from her grip. She kicked her legs against the burn in her muscles to break the surface of the river. She immediately began coughing and spluttering water from her mouth.

“Karen? Karen!”

Gerry’s voice sounded distant. Her body was struggling to move as the chill seeped into her bones. She was desperately trying to stay focused and awake. “Gerry!” She used the last of her strength to call out to the last person she figured would save her life.

Gerry spotted her head as she dipped below the surface of the water. He frantically swam over to the location he saw her disappear and dove down to pull her back up. He took a large breath before slipping below the surface of the water. He watched as she went limp and floated further away from him. He closed the distance easily and grabbed her body, pulling her to his, and removed the strap of the rifle from her body letting it drop down to the riverbed.

They broke the surface of the water rapidly. Gerry searched for the boat and turned when he heard the loud bang of a sniper rifle. His eyes landed on the man who stood on top of the boat firing off toward the prison. He adjusted his hold on the unconscious woman in his arms and did his best to swim to the boat. He struggled against the cold waves that came off the boat as it rocked.

Bernard took aim on the last straggler and fired the rifle. He watched as the body slumped to the ground. He scoped the open area looking for anyone else, before lowering the gun and hoping down to the deck. He dropped the rifle down to the bag and started searching for his agent and the McReary brother. He saw Gerry waving a rifle as he swam toward the boat, dragging Karen’s body behind him.

“Shit.” Bernard sat down in the captain’s chair and moved the boat closer to the two in the water. He turned the engine off and moved to help haul Karen into the boat. Gerry lifted Karen up into the boat with the man’s help, being mindful of her hurt leg, then climbed in behind her. Karen’s body thumped on the deck, as Gerry collapsed down on all fours, sucking in large gulps of air. He slid the other rifle he had across the boat trying to show the man he was no threat.

Bernard looked them over for obvious injuries before starting CPR on his agent. It only took a couple of chest compressions before she jerked up and rolled onto her side, hurling water from her mouth. He patted her back, helping her dispel whatever was left. He watched as she came to and slowly sat up. Their eyes met and she nodded at his unasked question. She was alright or would be with time.

“Gerry. Welcome to our fucked up mission!” Bernard held his hand out and shook Gerry’s when he offered it.

“Yeah no shit.” Gerry shivered against the cold and steadied his breathing. He figured he would take whatever break he could get for the time being. He glanced over to Karen who was on all fours trying to get herself together. He had felt fear seeing her sinking below the surface of the river and was only mildly relieved to be on a boat with two IAA agents.

“I have a safehouse in Middle Park West. We can talk more there.” The older man turned back to the steering wheel and got the boat started again. He would get a full debriefing once they were safely in his hideout office. The boat hummed to life before he took off back toward Middle Park West. He had borrowed the boat and would need to dock it in the same spot he had found it in. The water was thankfully still on the predawn traffic, and he would take whatever luck he could get today.

“Boss. The place was ambushed. No response team. You find that as odd as I do?” Karen shifted to sit against the side of the boat once she could take in a full breath and not feel like she was suffocating. Her body was too tired and in too much pain to form the effort to sit in one of the chairs.

Gerry had moved to get into one of the chairs but decided against it when he saw the shallow way Karen was breathing. He scooted across the deck of the boat and sat next to her, on her uninjured side. He lifted his arm and placed it along the side of the boat giving her a place to rest that wasn’t the hard polished wood of the boat.

She immediately moved into his side and leaned heavily on him. Her mind was swimming in pain, and for some reason her vision wasn’t clearing like it should. She turned her head into Gerry’s chest and closed her eyes trying to pull herself together. She felt him lower his arm around her and pull her more into him, in a more comfortable position. She couldn’t seem to mind how wet they both were, or how warm he felt pressed against her.

“The call never made it to NOOSE. I called it in as I approached the prison. Francis said dispatch never got a call. Are we telling him that Gerry is dead as planned?” Bernard looked over his shoulder to his agent who was paling rapidly. She was tucked into Gerry’s side, the one weapon discarded on the floor, and his sniper rifle rested on the cloth bag where he had left it.

“Yes. Jason will be the cadaver. Should give us a long enough window before Francis finds out the truth. We will need to tell him before he makes a scene of it. It will blow our cover story.” She felt weak, tired, and drained. Something wasn’t right and her mind was trying to get her to wake up.

“Boy that would be a sight to see.” Gerry scoffed and lightly shook Karen who had almost gone limp against him. “Hey, you okay?” He looked down alarmed at her and noticed the pale skin, the sheen of sweat, and the lax way she was moving.

“Fine. Just need to catch my breath…” Her voice trailed off, her head rolling to the side.

“Shit you are not fine!” Gerry moved her to lay down, laying her head down to rest on his thigh to prop her up. He opened her jacket to check her arm bandage first before moving his hands down to open the rest of her coat. He shifted her off of him and carefully placed her down on the deck. He moved around her to her injured leg, his palm landed on the wet surface of her dress slacks and knew something wasn’t right. ‘ _It’s warm…’_

He lifted his hand to see it covered in blood. “Uhh. Whatever your name is. Your agent is bleeding. And badly by the looks of it.” He pulled her pant leg up to see the blood had trailed down her leg. He grabbed her shoes and could see one of them had blood on it.

“She was shot last night. It was stitched up, but any major activity was bound to open it. We are almost to shore. I have a safe house and someone who can stich her up.” He glanced back to see his agent laying on the deck with Gerry trying to apply pressure to her leg wound.

“Shouldn’t she be in a hospital?” He kept his eyes trained on the female’s face that had gotten him out of prison. She was slowly trying to blink and stay awake but was failing miserably. 

“We are undercover, the agency doesn’t need to know of our involvement at the prison. If they do find out, there is a possibility there is a mole, and it will jeopardize the overall mission. Then Natalya will know you’re alive and will put that much more danger and pressure on Niko. Right now, our mission is to keep Niko focused on your sister’s care. We are going to deal with this bitch without getting Niko involved. With her death bringing freedom for us all. You help us catch and kill her, and I will give you a new life.” Bernard pulled the boat up to the dock he had taken it from. He shut off the engine and guided the boat into its spot, tying it down so it wouldn’t drift away.

“This is the person after my sister, my brothers, Niko, and me?” Gerry looked up from Karen with the new information.

“Yes. Now let’s get her up to my car and into the safehouse.” Bernard got out of the boat and motioned Gerry to lift her up to him.

“I got her. Pretty light.” Gerry lifted the passed out woman into his arms and tossed the sniper rifle to the man on the dock. “What about the other rifle?”

“Toss it overboard. I have plenty of other weapons we can use.” Bernard looped the strap for his gun around his shoulder and pulled a duffle bag from the side compartment of the boat.

“Okay.” Gerry tossed the one rifle over the side of the boat in the fancy looking harbor. Carefully he shifted Karen in his arms and stood up. It wasn’t too much trouble to get out of the boat due to his size and he was thankful to the tide level. “Lead the way. We better hurry. With how low the sun is right now there shouldn’t be too many people out, but that will change as the sun continues to rise.”

“I have a SUV just up the steps. Let’s go.” Bernard turned toward the stairs and began to move up them, checking his surroundings as he went.

Gerry silently moved after the older looking man. He wasn’t sure what to think about everything. It had all changed so quickly. First Jason was thrown into his cell, then Karen showed up to bust him out, and now he was in the thick of some IAA rouge operation. ‘ _Definitely not how I saw this Saturday morning going… Gonna miss the good breakfast!’_

They made it up the steps to a small parking lot. A blacked out SUV was the only vehicle in the lot and Bernard walked up to it and opened the back door, tossing in the sniper rifle and duffle bag. Gerry silently moved into the vehicle and settled Karen down into his lap. He had no clue why he bothered to keep her so close. Maybe it was the fact that she had risked everything to get him out of that hell hole and was now injured because of it. Or maybe it was the fact that she was tougher than she looked. He watched as the man got into the driver seat and placed a finger over his lips.

Bernard started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot before immediately activating his voice command in the car. “Call Deputy Commissioner Francis. Secure line.” The car dinged before a ringing could be heard. He made eye contact with Gerry and narrowed his gaze in warning. This call needed to be made, but he didn’t need Gerry blurting out that he was there.

“ _Deputy Commissioner Francis._ ” Gerry’s eyes widened hearing his brother’s tired voice over the car’s speakers. 

“Francis, it’s me. I have some bad news.”

“ _No… no, no, no, no, NO! He can’t be dead! I’ve lost Derrick, Ma, and I just almost lost Packie, and now you’re telling me Gerry is dead?!”_ There was a clear anguish in his voice. One Gerry had never heard before coming from his older brother. “ _You’re lying. You have to be. Gerry would never be killed so easily… Oh my God. Kate is going to be torn apart.”_

“I was just there. I’m having the body sent to our joint federal morgue. It will be heavily guarded. I will need to escort you in. I’m sorry Francis. I know this can’t be easy.” He glanced in the rearview to see Gerry’s reaction before turning his attention back to the road. They needed to keep Gerry’s status a secret. If he could help them find and kill Natalya it would all be worth it in the end. And his fake death, would mean the upper hand for them. Natalya won’t be expecting Gerry to come after her.

There was a strangled sounding cry, before a hiccup sounded over the car’s speakers, “ _It was them, wasn’t it? The Russians? Niko tried to warn me. I should have done more. Moved him to a secure facility. Something. God what am I going to tell Katie? Niko even?”_

“Only that it was a swift death. And my advice would be to wait till after the wedding. Your sister has been put through the ringer with Packie, your mom, her new relationship with Niko. But I guess this will hit the 0600 news. Not every day there is an armed assault on the prison. I can handle Niko. You want him to break the news?” Bernard turned into a parking garage of a nice apartment building, descending down the ramp to the lower levels of the garage.

“ _Yeah. Yeah that’s probably best. Let Niko break the news. He seems to do a better job at giving bad news then I have been lately. I couldn’t even muster the strength to tell Gerry Kate was almost raped. What kind of shit brother am I?”_ There was a long suffering sigh across the line, “ _I dug my bullet proof vest out for the wedding. I loaded my weapons with armor piercing rounds, and I have my finest doing street patrol right now outside the church. You expecting a bloody wedding?”_

“Yes I am. I have a team that dropped off weapons inside the church last night. Heavy guns and explosives. It ends today Francis.” Bernard parked the SUV and waited to finish the call.

_“It sure fucking will. Once I get my hands on these fuckers, I’m going to make them pay for what they have done to my family. I’ll be in my dress blues. See you at 0945.”_ The call ended abruptly.

“Wow. Francis cares.” Gerry sat utterly stunned in his seat. It had sounded like Francis had been crying over his assumed death. _‘He didn’t even shed a tear at Derrick’s funeral. Or so Packie told me…’_

“I was going to wait to do that call privately. But figured you needed to hear him. Francis, Packie, and Kate have been through hell the past 48 hours. It’s going to get much worse before the day is up. There is a wedding Niko and Kate will be at today. We need to ensure their safety at it. Come, I’ll finish explaining inside. Karen needs medical attention.” Bernard opened his door and climbed out of the vehicle to open the passenger side door for Gerry.

Gerry was too shocked to do much more than simply follow behind the man who had just ripped Francis apart. He never would have guessed in a million years that his brother would have grieved over his death. They had fought viciously. Nearly beat him to death. And yet the strangled cry of loss was undeniable. He felt a tightness settle in his chest as the sound replayed in his mind over and over again. They had all lost their mother. He himself had cried silently in his cell with the news. Now he wished he would have taken Francis’ call that morning.

Bernard lead them into the upscale apartment building toward the main elevators. They entered into the waiting lift and rode it up to the fifth floor. He took one glance at the McReary brother before walking out into the hall and down to the door of the safehouse. Unlocking the door, he ushered Gerry inside and quickly closed the door behind him.

“Lay her on the guest bed in here.” Bernard walked into one of the bedrooms and pulled out a plastic sheet, laying it out over the queen sized bed. “I am going down the hall to get the medic. You must remain out of sight once I enter the apartment with him. He will not know how to keep his mouth shut once around Niko. I know it’s rather dumb to suggest but try and rest up. The room next to this one has a bathroom. I have spare clothes in there if you want to have a proper shower. Maybe get out of those wet clothes.” He moved out of the way as Gerry went to lay Karen down on the bed.

“Thanks. A shower sounds good.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind Karen’s ear before turning and leaving the room for the one offered to him. He needed space to properly digest Francis’ reaction, his escape from prison, and what situation he had just found himself in.

Bernard didn’t waste any time and took off back into the main hallway of the apartment building. He had seen how soaked her dress slacks had been and knew every second they wasted would put her in more critical condition. Bernard rushed to the far end of the hall and knocked rapidly on the door. He said a silent prayer before stepping back to give the man room.

“What could possibly be so damn important at this _hour_!” A high pitched, sing-song voice floated past the closed door and caused Bernard to smirk and shake his head.

The door jerked open; Florian rushed out with a pistol and knife at the ready and charged him. Bernard pulled his own pistol and slapped Florian’s away from him, before disarming him of the pistol. Florian followed suit and disarmed Bernard taking his pistol from him. They stood out in the hall pointing each other’s pistols at each other. Florian shifted his hold on the knife getting ready to strike.

Realization dawned on him and he lowered the weapon. “ _Are you alone?”_

“ _No. I need help. My agent. She was injured. I will explain later, but I need you to stich her up!”_ Bernard held out Florian’s pistol and took his back, tucking it into the holster. He easily switched to Serbian when Florian decided to start their conversation that way.

“ _You come all the way to my apartment, at sunrise, for medical help?! You must be severely desperate.”_ He had remembered the man who gave the oath at dinner. He tucked his pistol into the waistband of his pj pants. “ _You are lucky Bryce isn’t here. He left about an hour ago.”_ He moved back into his apartment and emerged carrying a medial bag. He motioned him on wanting to get this over with so he could prepare for Mallorie to arrive.

“ _I am afraid I am.”_ Bernard turned and briskly walked down the hall to the open door of his apartment. It wasn’t so much of as safehouse, as it was his actual residence while in Liberty. He had brought them to the only place he deemed safe. There would be no bugs, no cameras, nothing that could jeopardize the mission.

“ _You have got to be fucking kidding. You live down the hall from me?!”_ Florian hesitated at the threshold, now becoming extremely cautious. “ _How do I know you aren’t going to kill me once I enter?”_

_“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. Niko would have killed you already at my behest.”_ Bernard turned to look at the man Niko trusted with his life. “Now hurry. She is bleeding out on my guest bed.” He turned and entered in the room where Karen was resting.

“ _Niko you have outdone yourself! I am never going to live peacefully again…”_ Florian murmured before pulling the door shut and locking it behind him. He entered the room that he saw the man walk in to and gasped. “I thought she had been treated at the hospital last night!”

“I sent her to the prison this morning to try and save Niko’s girlfriend’s brother. Things went south rather quickly. They came for him, and she barely managed to escape. I think she tore her stitches.” He sank down into the armchair in the room. He kept a close eye on Florian not sure what to expect from one of the surviving members of Niko’s squadron.

“Kate has a brother in prison. I remember from some of the conversations last night. This one is named Gerry, right?” Florian moved to the nightstand and opened the medical bag. “He make it?” Florian glanced around the room as if he would magically appear.

“No. Unfortunately not. Same type of unit that attacked the hospital attacked the prison. We were too late.”

“Such a shame. Poor thing can’t catch a break.” He nodded sadly before turning his attention to the female on the bed. “I will need to remove her pants and coat. You wish to stay and help? Or is this like some kind of weird patient privilege thing? Or are you her boss? That would make this extremely weird.” He eyed the oath giver who causally sat in the armchair. 

“I can help. She is my agent. We go through all the same training. She knows how field medical care goes.” He stood up and helped Florian remove her pants and coat, taking the wet clothing and placing it down on the stool at the foot of the bed. The bandage was soaked with blood and was saturated from the river. Florian removed a small pair of scissors from the medical bag and cut the gauze away from her leg. One of the stitches had been pulled loose, while other ones had been ripped clean from their place, and the wound was freely bleeding.

“She’s soaking wet too. She take a morning swim in the river too?” Florian touched around the wound on her injured leg. He began inspecting the wound and started to clean it with some of the supplies he had in his medical bag. ‘ _This looks bad. There is no way this won’t get infected.’_

“Was her escape path. I met her with Bryce’s boat.” He only shrugged when he was sent a death glare from Florian. 

“He won’t be too happy about that. Plenty of other boats up for grabs.” He tossed a couple of bloody rags across her body to the empty space of the bed. He pinched the wound closed and placed a couple of stiff butterfly closures over it so it would stay put while he re-stitched the wound. ‘ _Glue would be better, but I don’t think it will hold up…’_

“Yes, but I don’t know any of them. Bryce needs to be kept in line from time to time. It was his choice to cheat on his family with you. Not my fault I know his secret and keep it from reaching the tabloids. He can lend me a helping hand every now and then.” Bernard waved off the hostile look that was being shot his way.

“What we have is love. Do not exploit that.” He turned his attention back to Karen’s leg and started to do a neat cross stich, “This will only be a temporary fix. She will need actual medical help. I can give her some fluids and some antibiotics since she took a dip in the river, but honestly, she needs medicine and rest. I’m not a doctor.”

“Fluids would be good. She almost drowned in the river. She came to when I pulled her from the water but fell asleep soon after.”

“Heavens! You are pushing her safety to the limit. She needs actual help.” Florian knotted the wire and inspected his work, “I may not know much, but this is bordering on insanity. Even Niko knew she was in medical danger last night.” He left the butterfly closures in place and decided to add some of the skin glue to help keep it closed. He pinched the wound further together and placed a thin line of clear skin glue over it.

“Ow my head! Can you keep it down some?” Karen groaned in pain and slapped a hand to her ear to try and keep the volume down.

“My dear, you will need to take it slow.” Florian moved her hand away from her head and turned her face toward his. “Do you remember me from last night?”

“Yes, you’re the one who saved Niko…” She looked around the plush looking bedroom and felt a wave of panic flow over her, “Where am I?!”

“You’re save agent. You’re at my safehouse. Bernie is tending to your wound. You need rest and fluids.” Bernard stood from the chair and walked to the other side of the bed to be in her line of sight.

“Okay. Rest sounds good. I had pain pills in my jacket. Could go for a couple.” She flopped her head back down on the pillow and let out a sigh of relief. ‘ _Thank God that’s over with. I am safe for now.’_

“Only one for now. I’m going to hook you up to an IV of fluids and antibiotics. You get a full bag in you, and then you can take another one.” Bernie patted her cheek lightly and smiled down to her. “Anything else hurt or needs attending to?” He searched her face and looked down her body looking for other injuries.

“No that should be the only thing. I’m getting better at walking away from gun battles now. I’m one and one now.” She struggled to laugh, only for it to turn into a coughing fit.

“You need to save your strength. I’ll finish bandaging your leg up, then hook you up to some fluids, and then you need to sleep.” Bernie moved over to his medical bag and removed some heavy duty gauze and a stretchy wrap, along with a bag of fluids and antibiotics and the tubing needed to make an IV set up.

“I’m going to go do damage control. I need to speak to Niko and call Francis again. This is bound to be spreading on the news networks right now. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time to move.” Bernard squeezed her hand and walked out of the room. Things were going to be full steam ahead now that Gerry was safely extracted from the prison, and his agent was awake and recovering. He just hoped Niko would take the news in stride.

Karen watched as the door shut behind her boss. Once she was alone, she turned her attention to Bernie, “Thank you for your help. I guess we are just going to keep meeting with me not wearing any pants.” She smiled at the bemused look she received from her joke.

“Unfortunately for you sweetie, I am a _very_ taken man. Otherwise...?” He gave her a teasing smile, “But yes. The no pants rule is getting odd.” He fought the smile that kept pulling at his lips. He was starting to see what had attracted Niko to her in the first place.

“We could go with no tops next time?” Her eyebrow lifted as she noticed the state of undress he was in. “You uh. This your place?!” She squeaked and attempted to sit up on the bed.

“Oh no. No way! This place? No! I’m unit 4A, this is 14B.” Bernie started to place the heavy gauze over her leg wound, applying pressure.

“Wait. _Wait!_ You live in this building, and my boss’s safehouse is in this building? Now that is news to me!” Karen finally started to take a better look around the bedroom. It was sparsely decorated, no photos, no décor, only simple bedding, and furniture.

“I’m going to bend your leg up. Let me know if it’s too much.” Bernie positioned her leg in order to start wrapping the gauze around her thigh, checking her for signs of pain.

“I can handle it. This is nothing compared to running around a prison with a bunch of killers after us.” She scoffed and flopped back down to the plastic covered bed.

“Us?” Bernie stopped on his circuit of her leg, intrigued by the term ‘us’ instead of ‘me’.

“Yeah…” She sighed and closed her eyes, covering them with her hands. “Gerry didn’t make it. I. I _tried_.” She let out a slow breath trying to build up the mental strength to bold face lie to the nice person who was helping her out. The lying was getting easier and easier for her, but it was taking a toll on her emotions.

“I know a thing or two about losing someone in battle. It never gets easy.” Bernie shook his head and started to wrap her leg again. Something seemed odd about her reaction, but he shoved the thought aside for the time being. “So?”

“So?” She spread her fingers to be able to look at him between them, still not ready to put on a full act.

“You and Niko.” He smirked at the blush that rose to her cheeks.

“That is in the past.”

“Where it will stay.” Bernie dropped his softer tone and gave her a hard look. “If you ever, and I mean _ever_ , get in the way of Niko and Kate, I will shoot you myself.” He clipped the gauze and tucked it under another layer before reaching for the stretchy bandage.

“I understand now. There will be no he and I. He loves Kate. He told me so himself.” This time she did sit up on the bed and took one of Bernie’s hands. “If you see him soon, can you tell him I’m sorry? Sorry for losing Gerry, sorry for getting emotional, sorry for my betrayal, and sorry for confronting Kate?” She knew Gerry was probably listening in to the conversation. She had thought she had heard her boss offer him the room next to hers. 

“You should really do the apologizing in person. It’s easier to accept those apologies. Coming from me will only tell him you are not strong enough to own up to past mistakes and don’t actually mean to apologize. Niko is a very loyal person.” Florian sat on the edge of the bed, taking his first real look at the woman who had dated his comrade.

“I don’t think I will get the chance to see him again. My mission is taking me away from him. And once I’m done, I’ll be leaving Liberty. Just- Just promise me, if I don’t get the opportunity to say sorry, you will pass my message along?” This wasn’t an act on her part. She really did feel sorry for everything that was happening. But in a backwards way, she was thankful for it. Everyone wouldn’t be where they are now, mostly alive, and unharmed, if it weren’t for her bringing him in to IAA clutches.

“If it comes to that, sure. But I have the feeling you will get the chance. And really. Just tell him Жао ми је ( _Žao mi je_ ). That will get his attention.” Bernie smiled at her. “Now let me finish with your leg, get you on some fluids, and get you to sleep. It is a very busy day today!” He clapped softly in his excitement.

“In both good and bad ways.” She laid back down on the bed and with his help adjusted her leg for him to be able to wrap it easier.

“I am armed. Will be armed. I don’t plan to let Mallorie or Kate from my sights. That is my oath. That is my mission.” He pulled the fabric tightly around her leg to keep pressure on the wound, but not so much that it cut circulation off.

“Ask my boss for a vest. Would make me feel better knowing you had an additional layer of protection.” She took a longing glance at Bernie before turning her attention to the ceiling. She didn’t want anyone to be left unprotected today if she could help it.

“Aww!” Bernie let out a high pitched squeal, “You DO like me!” He had to laugh with her. He needed some of the lightness to come back into his life. Things were heading down a path he didn’t want to go down, and he craved for the days of bliss he had with Bryce before Niko showed back up in his life.

aaaaaa

Mallorie coughed as she finished emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She leaned back from the bowl and wiped her mouth with some toilet paper, before chucking the waded paper into the toilet to be flushed down. She turned her attention toward the bedroom listening for Roman’s snoring. Hearing the loud rumble from her fiancé, she flushed the toilet. She stood on shaky legs and walked over to the marble sink to brush her teeth and wash her mouth out.

‘ _I need to know for sure. I need help…’_ Mallorie looked at her reflection and saw just how tired she looked. Her face was skinner than normal, dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her complexion was pale. She splashed some water on her face before grabbing a towel to dry herself. ‘ _I need to make a call.’_

Silently she entered back into their bedroom and walked over to her phone on the nightstand. Carefully she unplugged it and exited the room to head for the kitchen. She took the stairs slowly, wishing her lightheadedness would just pass already. She had searched the internet for the symptoms and knew deep in her soul she was carrying Roman’s child. But until she had solid proof, she didn’t want to tell Roman. She felt selfish in hiding it from him, but her larger fear was of his reaction to the news. Kate had warned her to tell him as soon as possible. But what difference would it make to her and Roman’s commitment if she were pregnant or not?

She reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the large open kitchen of their home. She could almost picture baby bottles, baby food, and toys all over the counter. She had to shake her head to clear the thoughts. There would be time to dwell on all things baby later. The sky was starting to brighten, and she checked the time on her phone. Would anyone be up at this hour? ‘ _Kate is probably getting laid right about now, or passed out from being thoroughly pleased, so that leaves…’_

Mallorie sat down at the kitchen table and typed out a quick message to Niko’s phone.

‘Have Kate call me when you two get up. I need her to bring me something to Bernie’s. Maybe have her get ready with me? Needing her. - Mal’

‘ _Hopefully, he doesn’t freak out at my message. It doesn’t seem too desperate... Does it?’_ She let out a long sigh and searched for the only other person she felt she could talk to at this hour. Pulling up his number, she pressed the call button. The phone rang a few times before the line picked up.

“ _Mal? Everything okay? Roman drink too much?”_ Bernie’s concerned voiced soothed her troubled mind.

“No. Well maybe. Won’t know till later when I try to wake the beast to get ready for the day.” She fell quiet. For some reason, the thought of voicing her concerns tightened her throat. She had known Bernie for a little over a month or so. Roman had explained how they knew one another, and how Niko was originally going to kill him. But once the truth was discovered, she found herself liking the young man from her fiancé’s past.

“ _Ah. Well. I could always convince Niko to go throw some cold water on him._ ” There was another female voice in the background and some rustling, “ _Hang on just a second_.”

Mallorie pulled her phone away from her ear to see that she had in fact called Bernie and not someone else. ‘ _Why would there be a woman over at his place?!’_ She waited for him to come back to the call. She could make out his voice speaking in another language, followed by a quieter voice in the same sounding language before what sounded like a door opening and closing.

“ _Sorry. Crazy morning. Soooooo. What’s really going on?”_ Bernie sounded slightly winded and she could tell he was moving around.

“I need to talk to you. But I’m scared.” She bit her lower lip and tried to not start crying. ‘ _Why is this so hard?’_ She knew there would be zero judgment from him, but the small voice in her heart was crying out in pain.

“ _Okay now I really am concerned. Are you still getting married in…“_ There was a slight pause, “ _In four hours or so?”_

“Yes! Nothing like that. I am still okay to come over in about an hour or so?” She picked at the table trying to distract her muddled thoughts. Stalling the inevitable conversation for a little bit longer.

“ _Don’t change the subject missy. I may not seem very bright, but I did spend most of my younger years at Niko’s side. And HE is impossible to get information out of. Now spill.”_ There was the sound of another door opening and closing on his side of the call.

‘ _Damn him and his shady past!’_ “Fine! But I need you to swear on your lover’s life you won’t tell a soul!” She glanced back toward the stairs to see if Roman had noticed her absence. The house was silent except for the occasional snore from their upstairs master bedroom.

_“You are pregnant, aren’t you?”_

Mallorie dropped the phone. That was the first time she had heard the words out loud from someone not extremely close to her. It was like confirmation had crashed through the walls of her home. Her hands covered her mouth and tears slipped down her cheeks. Her heartrate skyrocketed. Everything just came to a screeching halt. ‘ _Pregnant. You are pregnant. With Roman’s child!’_

“ _Hello?”_

_“Hello!”_

_“Sweetie? Answer me or I’m coming over there!”_

Mallorie fumbled for the phone that had clattered to the floor when it slipped from her grip. She turned it around several times trying to figure out the top from the bottom through her blurry vision. “I’m here. I’m here. Sorry.” She let out a quiet sob, desperate to stay quiet as to not wake Roman and get him all worked up. He hated seeing her cry.

“ _Mal. Is this not good news?”_ The level of concern and understanding was palpable.

“It is. It’s great! Just wish Roman knew.” She whispered and wiped at her eyes trying to get the tears to stop falling.

“ _Ah. So he doesn’t know. You want to come over sooner? I am fully awake now, and I can draw a bath for you, and try this new oil treatment for you hair.”_ He sounded so excited and comforting to her.

‘ _Where have you been my entire life Bernie...?’_ “That sounds amazing. Let me get ahold of myself and wake Roman. I’ll leave after that. You sure though? I’m not interrupting anything?”

“ _Bryce snuck out earlier than normal. I am free. I’ll jump in the shower and order some breakfast. Anything you want in particular?”_ There was some rustling on the other end of the line as he moved about.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m starving. Just. Maybe no alcohol?” She had to smile at that.

“ _No worries. See you soon love.”_ The line went quiet as he hung up the call.

Mallorie lowered the phone from her ear and took a long suffering sigh. Shakily she made the trek back into the bedroom to wake up her soon to be husband. She gently shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. He only grumbled and turned the other direction. She rolled her eyes and climbed back on the bed to try and wake him.

“Roman. Roman!” She shook him and spoke his name.

“Is it time to make you mine forever already?” He mumbled and rolled back to his back. She smiled at his words.

“Not yet. But I’m going over to Bernie’s to get ready. You _will_ be at the church at 1000?” She cupped his cheek and stroked over his scruff, “Maybe clean up a bit before heading over?”

“I’ll have Niko come pick me up. I’ll be the finest man you have ever had the pleasure of laying your eyes upon my love!” He mumbled closing his eyes to get some more sleep.

“Okay my love. I’ll give Niko my key to get in. See you down the aisle!” She kissed his lips and went to work on getting dressed to get over to Bernie’s, being sure to pack up everything she would need. ‘ _Just please be at the alter babe…’_

aaaaaa

Francis didn’t feel like moving from the chair next to Packie’s hospital bed. He had packed up his clothes from his apartment and gone back to the hospital after his trip down to Hove Beach. He planned on spending the night and getting ready at the hospital. After seeing so much death, all he wanted to do was spend time by his family. He was working on accepting Kate’s relationship with Niko. He was working on building a relationship with his youngest brother. And he was going to start repairing his line of communication with Gerry…

The agent’s call had taken the fight right out of him.

‘ _Gerry is gone…’_ He wiped his face for the hundredth time that early morning. His soul felt devasted. And he couldn’t figure out why. Gerry had hated him from the very beginning. He could remember being a ten year old; so excited to have a younger brother when his Ma told him she was expecting. He had drawn up games to play, places he wanted to take him, and worked with Derrick to come up with cool nicknames. He thought the world of having the title of big brother. Then when Gerry turned thirteen things changed. They fought all the time, got in trouble with their parents and the law, and just formed this mutual hate for one another.

The fight was what broke them. He had decided to become a police officer. There was a million reasons he wanted to join the LCPD. To protect his brother from his father, to put a stop to the crime that was tearing his family apart, to get away from his dysfunctional family- the list went on and on. He loved his brother Patrick and adored his sister Katie. He wanted to take Kate with him when he left. But knew it would never happen. He had just passed his exams, background check, and psyche evaluation when he decided to tell his family of his decision to become a police officer. He was 36, a grown man, able to make his own decisions.

Gerry didn’t like the decision one bit. They had started to verbally argue in the kitchen that fateful night. He knew Gerry was either drunk or high, or maybe both. He wasn’t expecting him to take a swing at him. It was a blood bath. They fought dirty, throwing things, slamming each other into the walls and furniture. He still had the scars from when Gerry shoved him into the china cabinet and the glass sliced his hand open. He couldn’t determine whose blood was whose, just that he was losing too much of it. Things were a blur of fists, kicks, and blows, before he was facing his little sister on the floor.

Gerry stopped fighting at the sight of her. She trembled before them before letting out a blood curdling scream that should have woke the neighborhood.

It was the last time he saw Gerry before his first wedding. They had kept the conversations short, clipped, and to the point. He kept close to Kate and his Ma. But he wanted nothing to do with the rest of his family anymore. His father and brothers blamed him for their falling apart. Which was dumb in his opinion. They fell apart for their own reasons, not because he became a cop. Even at Pa’s funeral they barely spoke to each other.

But even with all the coldness, he did what he could to keep his brothers out of jail. Every single case against Derrick, Gerry, or Packie, he would bury or destroy evidence to cause mistrials or have the case fall apart. He loved them from afar. Had to. It was the only way to keep his sanity. Now he was thrust into the middle of everyone’s fucked up affairs. His family, Niko, the IAA. And even with every string he pulled, every favor called in- it did _nothing_ to prevent the death of his beloved mother, and his once cherished younger brother. 

He pulled out the flask from his coat pocket and took a long swig. ‘ _Come on, snap out of it. Drown it all out…’_

“Boy. You look worse for wear.” Packie picked up the bed remote and adjusted the bed to be able to get a better look at his brother. He was touched that he was by his side, but the look gave him pause. He couldn’t remember ever seeing is brother looking haggard.

“Packie. I don’t want to be the one to tell you. But as your older brother, I feel it’s fallen on me.” He took another gulp from his flask and grimaced. Alcohol wasn’t the best breakfast, but he was craving something to kill the pain he was in.

“Who?” Packie dropped his voice to a whisper. He tried to brace himself to hear Kate’s name. It was the only one who would have his brother so shook up. He studied his brother hard and realized he was still in the same clothes as last night. ‘ _Has he stayed the whole time?!’_

“Gerry. He was killed in an ambush on the prison.” It left him feeling so empty voicing his name.

“No… I don’t believe you” Packie sucked in a breath and turned to look away from Francis. He stared at the ceiling wishing this conversation wasn’t happening. The tears just started to fall without his permission. His body was hurting, but the raw pain that thrashed through him took over the physical ache that the poison left behind.

“It’s on the news.” Francis took the TV remote and changed it to the local news station. He kept it muted, not wishing to hear how the news was going to paint Gerry as a horrible person who deserved to be gunned down. The images on the screen showed several bodies littered along the outer walls, the main front gate, and of hospital gurneys being rolled out of a side entrance. Twenty-five guards, and eight prisoners were killed according to the graphic displayed, but the numbers were likely to increase. NOOSE agents kept the media back from the building, but the helicopters above kept showing the carnage.

“I. I just found out. I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t think you were going to wake so early, and I didn’t want you to find out this way. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.” Francis held out the flask to his youngest brother. His only remaining brother.

“To Gerry.” Packie gladly took the flask and downed a healthy gulp. He kept his eyes glued to the screen until the mugshot of his brother showed up. He closed his eyes and let out a soft sob. His image was confirmation enough. Was it too much to ask that they get their mother in the ground before having to bury another member?

“To Gerry.” Francis took it back from Packie and took another large swig, “I’m going to kill the ones responsible. It might land me in jail, or even kill me, but I give you my word Packie. These people will pay.” He didn’t care what it took anymore. Promotion be damned, reputation be damned. He was going to destroy the ones who hurt his family.

“I wish I could be with you. This fucking sucks! I should be out there with you.” He turned to eye his last surviving brother. Being stuck in a hospital bed was driving him mad. He could have helped prevent Gerry’s death somehow. He should have been at their Ma’s place instead of the club. His thoughts were going a million miles a second until they landed on his sister. The color drained from his face. “Does Katie know?”

“I haven’t been able to get ahold of Niko. I’ve called a couple of times. They are probably sleeping. Was a rather eventful night. He needs the rest. I plan to pull him aside at the wedding to tell him before letting Kate know gently. Of course. There is no easy way to tell her this.” He looked down to the flask and finished off the rest of the liquid.

Packie only nodded before looking around the hospital room to try and settle his distraught emotions. He noticed Francis’ ceremony uniform, medals, patches, and ribbons displayed proudly on the chest. He glanced to the side table to see his hat. “Dress blues?”

“For the wedding. I want to make sure Kate is protected. I’m leaving Ron here with you. He will watch over the room to make sure no one tries to off you while we are elsewhere.” He hesitated before pulling his sidearm from the holster. He turned the gun over in his hand and smiled at the small inscription from his mother. She had insisted that he take Pa’s old 1911. Their last name was etched along the barrel. He flipped it around and held the grip out to his brother. “I don’t want to leave you defenseless. I have a commissioned service weapon. Take this.”

Packie instantly recognized the pistol, “But Ma wanted you to have it.” He took the gun from his brother and laid it down on the bed next to him. His hands were getting some of their feeling back into them, but the news of Gerry’s death was causing him to feel numb.

“And I want you to have it. I took a different path than most of the McReary’s. You’re now the head of the Irish mob. I may not remember the official ceremony, coronation, or dying oath that should be made as a new leader rises to power. But I pledge my allegiance to you and your cause. I will provide protection where I can from my side of the fence.” He nodded to his brother and leaned back into the recliner to try and get comfortable. ‘ _Fuck it all. He’s all I got left besides Kate.’_

“I don’t have a ton of power you know. The Irish mob isn’t much of anything anymore. That was Pa’s and then Gerry’s goal. I almost don’t want the title.” Packie turned back to the TV as more images from inside the prison flashed back and forth. The blame was being thrown around at several different mob families, all speculation of course.

“All hail King Patty?” Francis had to smirk at the annoyed glare he received from his brother.

“Not exactly. Pa had the power, then Derrick, then Gerry, and now me. We are nothing but a bunch of hired gunmen and drug runners. We lost Purgatory to the Italians and some of Broker to the Russians. It’s really not something to get involved in again. I kind of want to just leave. Move on and do something else with my life. You know?” Packie had been thinking about Los Santos a lot lately. A change of scenery after Derrick’s death. 

“I know the feeling. Been chasing something else my whole adult life. I wanted away from Pa’s influence. I am sorry for leaving the way I did. Not my most shining moment.” He turned in the chair to study his brother.

“It’s in the past. We are all that’s left. Kate too. But one of us is going to need to carry on the McReary name.” He smiled and laughed at the look of horror on his brother’s face.

“Oh there is no way in hell I’m ever going to be a dad. I’m too much of a fucked up person to want to have mini-me’s to take care of.” Francis scoffed at the idea and adjusted his suit jacket to try and distract himself from the uneasy feeling that came over him.

“Yeah I don’t want kids either. At least not yet. Plus there ain’t been a special someone to enter my life. Thank God Gerry never knocked up one of his ex-wives. That is just too weird to think about.” 

“That we know of anyway.” Francis shrugged at the notion. He didn’t know everyone’s business. For all he knew Derrick had kids over in Ireland somewhere.

“Sick. You know he would have had a full blown panic attack over getting one of those broads pregnant.”

“That’s the damn truth. Kate’s the only one that might consider being a mom.”

Packie scrunched up his face, “What? You want little half Niko and Katie’s running around?” Packie let out a holler, “Oh my God! They’d climb all over you begging ‘Uncle Frankie’ for piggyback rides and to go joy riding in the cop cruiser.” He cackled with the mental image of Kate’s kids trying to get Francis’ attention.

“Or they’d spend all their time with ‘Uncle Patty’ learning to how to make bombs and snort lines of coke.” His face flamed at his renewed anger at Kate being with Niko. He prayed they never procreated. ‘ _Or better yet get close to the act of procreating!’_

“No fair! They’d pick up how to blackmail people from you. Or sweep corruption under the rug by hiring a shady immigrant to do his dirty work.” Packie sat up in the bed slightly, affronted that he would be so bad of an influence on his future nieces and nephews.

“For starters, Niko and Kate will never last. And secondly let’s stop while we are ahead. I went too far. I don’t want to fight over what ifs and would nots.” Francis tried to control where their conversation was going. He needed to get off this line of questioning fast.

“What makes you think they won’t last? You’ve seen them together. She hangs all over him. And he has done nothing but shield her and protect her. We have him to thank for still having a sister!” He sat up fully on the bed, letting his anger get the better of him.

‘ _And we have him to thank for no longer having Derrick around!’_ Francis bit his tongue to keep from shouting his inner turmoil over Derrick’s death at Niko’s hands. He took a long silent breath, letting go of his anger and frustration, “That is true. He did save her, even if he was the cause of her being in danger.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Cause of her being in danger? What’s that supposed to mean?” Patrick settled back down against the propped up hospital bed. Francis’ words hinting on something he was unaware of.

“Yeah. Because she was dating, or not dating in her words, Niko, some very bad people targeted her. He’s pissed off someone in this city and they tried to harm her to get to him. I’ve gotten some info back from IAA and FIB on the attack. Not too much to really place the blame yet. The guys info from Interpol only led me to a defunct Russian syndicate. And that group was usually used for hired hits and kidnappings. They have no loyalty to any one group. And I think it’s all connected to the hit on you, and now on Gerry.” He glanced at the TV as the news tried to figure out the reason for the armed ambush of the prison.

“So I was also a target?” He scrunched his eyebrows together in thought. “Um. I killed a guy at the club I was at before going to Ma’s after the attack. I don’t suppose that was part of all this? I thought he was a pissed off Angel of Death MC dude. They hate our family. But he could have just been wearing a disguise.”

“I’ll try to find the report on a death in the club you were in. Hopefully get the autopsy notes. Could help us place him in this timeline. Which I could really use some help making one. Will help me in figuring out why this is all happening now, and not later. It all just feels wrong to me. The one guy I thought was behind all this is dead. Plane crash last night.” Francis pulled his phone out to see if Niko had texted him back yet.

“Jesus! Last night was one hell of a night! First, I get nearly taken out due to some laced champagne, there is a full blown shoot out here at the hospital, plane crashes, armed ambushes on the prison- like what the actual fuck is going on?” Packie threw his hands up in exasperation. He knew his life was rather exciting, but this was pushing him limits. 

“I’ve been thinking the same thing since getting your call to take care of Ma’s dead body.” They both sobered at the mention of their mother.

“I can’t believe she’s gone.” Packie whispered. He hadn’t had much time to dwell on it. But sitting here in the hospital, talking to his only brother, it was finally settling in.

“I know. Me too. I figured I’d have a few more years before her passing. I had hoped to make amends. Now that chance has slipped through my fingers.” He let out a long sigh. It felt good to be able to talk to Packie, but he was also bordering on subjects that didn’t need to be talked about.

“She did love you. And she was very proud of her policeman son.” He smiled at Francis. He knew how proud his Ma was of him. She proudly displayed his portrait on the wall, and all the medals he had received for his accomplishments. And whenever he got her talking about them, she would always fondly speak about her Frankie.

“Thank you. I forget sometimes that she loved me. Or that any of you like me.” He leaned forward in the recliner and buried his face in his hands, “I wish I had been killed instead of Derrick.” He mumbled the words against his hands, immediately regretting letting them slip from between his lips.

“Don’t say that. I have a confession to make.” Packie could see how tired and depressed his brother looked. He had held Derrick’s secret long enough, and seeing how Francis was acting, maybe now was the time to tell him.

Francis only turned to gaze at his brother. He had an idea of what was going to be said, and it was nothing new to him. “And what’s that?”

“He wanted you dead. He asked Niko to kill you. I listened to him drunkenly spill his guts the night before his death. He sounded so damn proud to have convinced the ‘highly skilled Niko Bellic’ to kill his own blood. It disgusted me. Sure you and I never saw eye to eye, but I didn’t want you dead! I yelled at Derrick to cut it out and to snap out of it. I never once thought it was a legitimate hit, otherwise I would have called Niko right then and there and told him not to do it. How was I supposed to know that would be the last conversation I had with him?” He was skeptical now. Once voicing his last conversation with Derrick out loud, things suddenly didn’t add up. ‘ _If Francis was supposed to die at their meeting… then why did Derrick?’_

“Have you spoken to Niko about this?” Francis could see the wheels turning behind Packie’s eyes. He swore to Niko he wouldn’t let his brother’s know the truth. And it was very dangerous how close Packie was on uncovering the truth.

“No. I don’t have it in me to see him confirm that Derrick asked him to kill you. A little odd that Derrick was killed at the very meeting he said you were going to die at.” There was a deafening silence now in the small hospital room. He stared at his brother, almost pleading with him to disown his thought process. ‘ _If Niko was going to kill you, then why was Derrick shot instead? Please tell me you didn’t ask Niko to kill Derrick… which would mean that Niko… killed… Derrick.’_

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I had called him to meet up. He was threatening to expose my past and mistakes to the media. I wanted to confront him in a public space. To maybe work through some of our differences. We had sat down on a park bench. It was a fairly civil conversation. He was telling me how much of a fucked up individual I was- how much of a hypocrite I was being a cop, and still carrying on with shady business deals. Next thing I know his head exploded. There was no saving him. He was gone between one word and the next.” Francis turned away from Packie and studied the floor. He would need to school his features and get him away from this topic quickly. “It’s a little hard to hear that he was going to have me killed at that meeting.” He whispered the words out hoping it would be convincing enough.

“But you weren’t, and he was.” Packie was starting to feel dizzy. There was just no way that Niko would have killed Derrick. He was at the funeral. He helped fight off the Albanians. He helped carry his casket to the grave. He was dating his sister! There was just no way in hell that Niko had gone against Derrick’s request and simply killed him instead.

“Then maybe you need to talk to Niko! Derrick could have just been high out of his mind when he told you that! Why would he ask a family friend to kill a member of said family?! If Niko truly loves our sister, then there would be no way he would have been able to pull the trigger and kill either one of us.” Francis shoved off the recliner and started to pace back and forth at the foot of Packie’s hospital bed. “It’s bad enough that he’s gone. You wanted that to be me instead?” He stopped pacing and sent a cold glare toward his brother.

“No! I never said that. I am just wondering why no one has been pinned for his death. You’re the cop. Figured you would have gone above and beyond to find the shooter. Since you are so caring in watching all of our backs out here in the real world!” He was getting mad now. He didn’t want to believe it, but somewhere inside of him he kept thinking that Niko killed Derrick.

“Well you sure are acting like you would have rather had Derrick’s plan work out. The case went cold. There were no bullet casings on any rooftop or street corner. There were no fingerprints of any known assailants. And every single camera footage I could get of his death had nothing to go off of. There have been no leads. Unless you know of Derrick’s enemies who would want him dead? I’d ask Gerry, except he’s dead too!” Francis turned away from his brother and took several heated deep breaths. This was too damn close to exposing everything he worked hard to bury. Niko was bound to kill him if Packie found out. Because if Packie knew, it would only be a matter of time before Kate was told the truth.

“I didn’t know- I didn’t think you cared enough to try and find his killer. You were there when he died. I just assumed you were thankful to not be the one with the bullet to the head.” He looked down to this lap and picked at the cotton blanket that covered his legs. “I’m sorry okay?”

“Don’t apologize. We’ve both gone through enough to not need the added weight of guilt and sympathy. But what we can do, is start over and move past our differences. We need to keep what’s left of our family alive. The enemy is out there, not here in this room.”

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation, “Hey boss. The nurse would like to come in and check on Patrick. Do you want to step out or stay in?” Ron poked his head in the door and gave Packie a small smile before turning to his boss for an answer.

“I’ll stay, I need to change clothes real quick. Send her in.” Francis nodded to his detective and moved over to his dress uniform that was hanging from one of the floor lamps. He pulled the curtain across the room and closed off the sight of his brother and the friendly looking nurse who walked in pushing a small medical cart. ‘ _That was too damn close… Can this day get any worse?!’_

aaaaaa

Niko could hear his phone buzzing away in the bathroom. He counted six text message buzzes and four missed calls. The sun had just started to peak above the horizon and the sunrise was beautiful. He lamented the notion of getting out of bed. Kate was lightly sleeping next to him, having turned over to bury herself into the other pillow. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her side and get the day started, but in his line of work, those messages and calls could be any number of things.

He moved slowly and tucked himself around his girlfriend. She was so warm and peaceful, and he regretted having to wake her. He cradled her body to his and nuzzled her neck affectionately. “Kate?” He whispered the words against her ear before placing a tender kiss to her cheek.

“Mmm?” She only shifted more and shuffled back into his body, letting out a content sigh.

He had to chuckle at her antics, “The sun is rising. I know you wanted to get ready at Bernie’s, right?” He gently nudged her face with his nose before placing a kiss to her cheek.

“It that time already? Ugh!” She turned over to face him and wrapped her arms around his ribs, pulling him close. She brushed the tip of her nose along his jaw, lightly kissing his scruff. Sluggishly she continued her kissing toward his lips, brushing them softly against his skin. She placed a loving kiss to his waiting lips. The sheets rustled as she moved up the bed to be able to loop her arms around his shoulders, bringing him down to meet her as she deepened the kiss. “Can we stay in bed a little longer?” The words floated around them in the stillness of early morning sunbeams.

Niko slid the blankets down off her body, letting his fingers drift along the indention of her spine. He could feel his need of her rising, and he slowed his attack of her mouth. He would give anything to simply roll her under him and grant her request, but he knew the world waited for them. Things needed to be taken care of. His cousin needed to be wed, and he wanted to see her happy. He cupped her cheek and leaned out of her embrace slightly, searching her eyes.

“Trying to read me?” She teased softly, leaning into his hand. She felt whole, complete, and for the first time it felt like joy coursing through her body. His eyes warmed under her gaze and she felt her smile grow. It was as if what she felt was reflected back in his own eyes.

“Don’t have to, to know how happy you are in this moment.” He trailed his fingers across her smooth skin. He wanted to freeze this moment and make it last forever. He knew something was on the horizon. What that was he couldn’t figure out. But with how hectic, crazy, and constant the threats kept coming, he knew the good wouldn’t last much longer. He pressed their foreheads together and took in a deep breath. ‘ _I will keep you safe. I will not fail.’_

“Wish I could know what goes on up here.” She tapped his temple with her index finger, closing her eyes, sinking into his embrace.

“I don’t even know what goes on.” He chuckled at her words.

“One day you will let me in fully. And I can’t wait for that day.” Her smile faltered slightly. “Can you get the shower going? I’ll be in there in just a second. And maybe we can wash each other?” Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled tiredly at him. One day he would be able to share himself in the same way she did, and that would be the day she would welcome the idea of marriage. The thought of truly being his forever caused her heart to take flight.

“Sure.” He kissed her smiling lips and slid out of bed. He figured there would be no point in finding pjs, just to take them off in the bathroom. He glanced over his shoulder as Kate buried herself into his pillow and let out another joyful sounding sigh. He smiled at the sight she made and walked over to the bathroom to get the shower going.

The bathroom was how they left it- clothes scattered over the floor, shower door opened, her jewelry placed carefully on the counter along with his pistol. His cell phone buzzed again on the floor in the pocket of his pants. Quickly Niko picked up all the clothes and laid them over the empty towel rack, hoping her dress wasn’t too wrinkled, before pulling his cell phone from the dress slack pocket.

There were two calls from Francis and two from Bernard. ‘ _Odd. They were only a few minutes apart, and just about an hour ago…’_

He decided to start with the text messages:

‘Urgent that we speak soon. Call as soon as you are able- ULP’

‘Niko. Please answer. It’s urgent- Francis’

‘Niko, I need you to call me asap- Francis’

‘Have Kate call me when you two get up. I need her to bring me something to Bernie’s. Maybe have her get ready with me? Needing her. - Mal’

‘Don’t turn on the news till you’ve had a chance to talk to me. And DO NOT let Kate see the news! - Francis’

‘I’m getting concerned here. Call me! - Francis’

He reread all the messages a couple of times. Something had to have happened. He figured this was going to be one of those times that Kate needed to not overhear the phone conversation. Which meant he would need to shower quickly and get out before she was finished. He could almost feel it in his bones that what was going to be said was not going to be good news. His stomach churned with the thought that someone had died.

He placed his phone face down on the counter and turned to get the shower going. ‘ _So much for having a few more moments to ourselves before the world comes crashing down…’_ He stuck his hand into the spray of water and waited till it got warm enough to stand under. He stepped in and closed the shower door, immediately starting to wash his body and hair. He worked silently and quickly. The sooner he spoke to Bernard and Francis the sooner he could start to process whatever they were going to tell him. He heard the bathroom door open and close and looked over his shoulder as Kate entered the bathroom.

She smiled to him before pulling open the shower door, only to frown at the look he was giving her, “Is everything okay?” She was hoping to avoid anything negative for a little bit, but the look of exhaustion on Niko’s face was rather telling. She also noticed he was almost done showering.

“Mallorie texted saying she needed you to call her. I also have several missed called from the man who gave us the good vodka at dinner. His calls are never good.” He would leave out Francis for the time being until he knew what he wanted. He was going to try to spare her any heavy blows till after the wedding if possible.

“Maybe he managed to capture Rebecca and he was just calling to let you know everything is okay?” She phrased it with as much hope as she could muster, but even as the words left her mouth, she knew that was a slim chance.

“That would be nice. Is everything okay with Mallorie? Should I be worried about her leaving Roman at the alter?” He held his hand out to her and tugged her to him when she took his hand. He turned the shower head to move the warm water over her. He could see the slight shiver of her body from the cool air in the bathroom.

“I! There is no lying to you. You’d just know. But I can only ask that you keep this between us.” She hugged him under the spray of hot water and looked up to his face for confirmation.

“Of course.” Now he was worried. He knew their relationship was strained at times, but for her to all of a sudden get cold feet didn’t sound right.

“I think she is pregnant. More than think really.” She watched his face for any signs of surprise or worry. But he managed to just keep his face neutral.

“Would explain why she didn’t drink anything at dinner… But she did have a shot before we left. What changed?” He may have managed to control his reaction on the outside, but inside he was fully freaking out. He was going to be an uncle. He was about to have one more person in his life to love, cherish, and look out for. It both elated him and terrified him.

“She got sick here a couple of times while we were getting ready. I thought she was getting what Packie was coming down with. Of course, I know now that wasn’t the case. But she threw up once we got to Jerkov’s.” A small smile graced her face as she remembered what took place once they got inside the restaurant. “She almost ran over Karen in her haste to get inside the ladies room. Would have been hilarious if she had just barfed all over her instead. But I helped hold her hair out of the way and that’s when she brought up her concern to me.” She shook her head as the memory played out.

“Now that would have been a sight to see. Mallorie pretty much wants to beat her up next time they meet.” Niko smirked at the idea of the Puerto Rican beating up on his ex-girlfriend. “I’m done washing. I was going to go return his call and then call Mallorie unless you would rather call her?”

“She and I both wouldn’t mind taking a slap or two to her…” Kate huffed thinking about Niko’s ex-girlfriend who had said some rather unpleasant things to her in the restroom at Jerkov’s. “But I’d rather talk to Mallorie. I don’t think she is going to be very open with you on this topic. Go ahead and make your call, I’ll clean up quickly then start packing up what I need to get ready for the wedding. Are you sure I will be safe at Bernie’s?” She didn’t want to voice her fear. But after everything that had taken place, she would rather not leave Niko’s sight.

“I will be there getting ready too. So, between me and Bernie, the place will be safe. No one will be able to get to you.” He cupped her face and sent her a questioning look. She had never once voiced her concern of being safe somewhere since he brought her to his apartment.

“Okay. I just know that if Rebecca is still out there, the people behind my attack, and the motorcycle guy, it’s probably not safe to be anywhere. Except for being at your side.” She knew that the second they left the apartment; they would be moving targets. “Also, I’d like to call Gerry. I know you said he wanted to talk to me, and I think I’m ready to speak to him.”

“None of those people will ever harm another hair on your head. I promise.” He kissed her lips softly, “Now get this sexy ass clean before I decide to wash you myself. And it won’t be with a soap and washcloth.” He smirked at her before giving her bottom a playful tap.

“Niko!” She jumped at his love tap and swatted at his chest in the same manner, “Not that I wouldn’t mind you licking me head to toe, we should probably go face the world. Even though I don’t want to.” She sighed and dropped her face back to his chest. She wasn’t ready to take on the world just yet.

“You won’t face the world alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” He hugged her tightly and wished he could take away her pain and anxiety. He also said a small prayer that Bernie wouldn’t freak out seeing her bruise on her face. The only time Bernie had seen her was at dinner, and she had been all done up with Mallorie’s make up job.

“Thank you. Now go do your job while I get cleaned. You left quite the mess between my legs.” She let out a small laugh and backed away from him to start washing her hair and body.

“Not that you mind the mess.” He shot her a cheeky smile over his shoulder as he exited the shower and easily caught the bar of soap she playfully chucked at his head.

“Niko! I swear!” She laughed as he caught the simple bar of soap she had thrown at him, “One of these days you are going to teach me your ways. That would have hit me square in the face.” She lathered up her hair and paid special attention to her scalp making sure she thoroughly cleaned it. “You’re like some crazy ninja or something!”

“What dodging, fighting, disarming, and shooting? You don’t ask for much!” He chuckled as he placed the soap down on the stone bench before closing the shower door. He grabbed one of the clean towels he had brought out last night and dried himself off.

“Yes. All of that and more. Maybe you can start teaching me other positions too? That couch of yours was pretty inviting if I do remember correctly.” She rinsed her hair and grabbed the bottle of conditioner.

“And the kitchen counter, and the front seat of my car, and the pool table I have at one of my other apartments.” He smiled as she let out another laugh. “I’m going to go get dressed and make that call. Call out to me if you need anything.” He wrapped the towel around himself, grabbed his cell phone and pistol, and went to move out into the bedroom.

“Could have used your hands in this shower.” She muttered the words out only half attempting to stay quiet, loving the ability to tease him like this.

“I heard that!” He opened the bathroom door and shook his head. He moved silently into the bedroom and pulled out some simple clothes. He wanted to be comfortable before having to wear a full suit for an extended period of time. He pulled on a pair of boxers and jeans, followed by a white undershirt and a heavy tan sweater. His eyes traveled over the bed before landing on the corner of his bullet proof vest that was poking out from under the bedframe.

He glanced to the bathroom door before pulling it out and dropping it on top of the comforter. The two bullets shone in the first rays of light that streamed in through the large industrial window. He thumbed one of them, contemplating on asking Bernard for a spare vest. He picked up his pistol and checked it’s ammo. He had used it sparingly before handing it off to Kate at the hospital. ‘ _I’ll need to take everything with me to the church. Rifle, shotgun, pistol, and the sniper. I won’t go in unprepared. There is no way these people don’t know of the wedding…’_

With that thought Niko pulled out the gun cases from under the bed and stacked them neatly on the mattress. He opened the bottom drawer of his dresser and pulled out a duffle bag filled to the brim of extra magazines, lose bullets, and other attachments for his rifle and shotgun. He placed the bag on the floor by the bed. It may look like overkill to everyone else, but to him, it wasn’t enough. Niko felt a pit form in his stomach at the sight of all the weapons. Instead of taking his time getting dressed up for a wedding, it looked like he was getting strapped up for war. He rested his palms on the lid of the rifle case trying to steady the queasiness that washed over him. ‘ _They asked for a war… They will get one…’_

His phone buzzed again with a reminder that he had missed calls and it knocked him from his thoughts. Quickly he put on some socks and his boots before heading out to the kitchen. He held his phone in his hand as he took his favorite stool at the kitchen counter. ‘ _No bad news. No bad news. No bad news…’_ He repeated it over and over in his mind.

“Okay Bernard. Nothing horrible please.” He whispered out into the empty room before pulling up the ULP Contact name and dialing the number. It only rang once before the call connected.

“ _I won’t keep you. Have you watched the news this morning?”_

‘ _What is with everyone asking about the news?’_ “No, I just got up. I am about to head out with Kate to go to Bernie’s. What about the news? Should I put it on here at the apartment?” He turned on the stool and looked around for the TV remote. Packie must have placed it somewhere before he stumbled out to the lobby in search of help.

“ _No. Don’t turn it on if Kate is there. I don’t know how else to say it. And I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you-”_

“ _Don’t you dare tell me Packie passed in the middle of the night!”_ Niko switched to Serbian and lowered his voice as to not have it carry down the hall to the bathroom. The last thing Kate needed to hear was that her brother passed away after getting to see him alive and awake.

“ _Not Packie.”_ Bernard switched to Serbian to help keep their conversation private. He wasn’t sure if Kate was listening in or if there was someone else in the apartment with him. ‘ _Best to keep it private.’_

“ _Fuck. It’s Francis isn’t it? He texted and called me so many times.”_ Niko buried his face into his hand and started to shake. What if those calls were calls for help? He got up and started to pace around in the small space between the kitchen and living room. He didn’t know the level of skill Francis held at weapons, but surely, he wouldn’t be easily overpowered. Ron was at the hospital with him.

“ _No Niko. Gerry.”_

That stopped Niko completely. He stumbled over his feet and sank to the floor. He felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. There was just no way. He had to be lying. He was protected in prison. It would have taken a massive operation to be able to break in and kill an inmate. ‘ _The news!’_ Niko scrambled over to the couch and found the TV remote. He pressed the on button and clicked on the channel button till he landed on the local news channel.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Gerry’s mugshot was splashed over the screen, as a reporter babbled on about an armed assault on the Alderny State Correctional Facility. “That’s impossible.” He whispered the words not truly understanding what he was seeing.

“ _Apparently not as impossible as we thought. They swarmed the place during guard shift change. Overtook the confused guards and killed many of them. They were only interested in Gerry’s cell block. Eight inmates including Gerry. All in cell block ten. We can speak once you get to Bernie’s and Kate is preoccupied. My advice is to not tell Kate till after the wedding. It’s already going to be a tough day for us all. Let’s not make it worse on her, shall we?”_

Niko turned off the TV when he heard the shower turn off. He lifted himself to the couch and tried to control the rage that was now building inside him, “ _It was them wasn’t it? Any word on Rebecca?”_ If there wasn’t a wedding planned for the day, he would have spent it tracking down every last person loyal to Dimitri.

_“I am afraid so. The same type of group that attacked the hospital also attacked the prison. I think we upped their timetable by thwarting their attempts to kill you at the hospital. I am still working on Rebecca. They avoided all the major roads and bridges. We lost track of them down near the triangle.”_

“Okay. Keep me posted. I’ll talk to you in a few.” Niko disconnected the call. He was mad, enraged that Gerry had been killed so helplessly. He was in prison! There was no reason to go after him! He dropped his phone down to the coffee table and covered his mouth with his hands. As soon as Roman and Mallorie were off to their honeymoon he was going hunting. He would find every single person who was involved with these attempts on his life and those he cared for. He would kill them all and torture the ones who did the planning. Ray, Dimitri, and Jimmy were all gone, there should be no one left!

“You planning on wearing this thing down the aisle?” Kate rounded the corner from the hallway holding his rifle and struck a silly pose. The strap was slung around her slender frame over her dark green sweater. Her hands held it in a manner that she had seen him holding it, save for the fact that her fingers were as far from the trigger as possible.

She had entered the bedroom in search of Niko and froze at the sight of the bullet proof vest. The bullets got her attention and she had the startling realization that they would have been where she had seen bruises on his body. The black cases drew her attention away before her thoughts spiraled too far. She had clicked the top one open rapidly and gasped at the sight of his rifle. The one that had saved her life. The one Niko had used to shoot the man on top of her. For some reason, the sight of it didn’t bother her anymore, and she carefully lifted it from the foam slots. A small thrill trickled down her spine and she flung the strap over her shoulder. That’s when she heard Niko ending the call.

“Bad news I’m guessing?” Kate whispered and lowered the rifle at the sight he made sitting on the couch. He was giving off a murderous look and it sent a wave of panic down her spine. She let the rifle fall to her side and clutched the green sweater to her chest over her heart. ‘ _Someone must have died…’_

He looked up to where she stood and forced himself to calm down. He could see how he was starting to scare her. She had put on his favorite green sweater, black leggings, and her fuzzy boots. The sight of his rifle had the corner of his lips twitching into a small smirk. She looked sexy holding it, but her frightened eyes caused him to suck in a deep sigh. ‘ _Don’t freak her out… Change the topic.’_

He could see the bite mark peeking out of the open scoop collar and immediately felt the rage leave him over Gerry’s death, as the pain of seeing her injury washed through him. “Should I bandage the mark before we go?”

“That’s not what I asked.” She took a couple of steps into the room to stand at the edge of the couch, lifting the rifle strap off her body. She turned the rifle up and placed it down in the corner of the couch, propped up against the back cushion, careful to not set it off somehow. “You can tell me Niko.”

“It was bad news. I don’t really want to talk about it fully just yet. Don’t ask. Please?” He really wasn’t ready to tell her about Gerry. It wasn’t fair to her. She had been through so much lately and he didn’t want to be the one to add to her burden. He watched as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and hurt. He knew shutting her out was also not the answer, but he just needed to get his thoughts together. “Just know that Rebecca is still out there. She wasn’t caught.”

“Okay. But how bad can she really be? Has she ever given you the idea that she is willing to murder someone?” She hesitantly sat down next to him on the other side of the couch away from the rifle. She gripped the hem of her sweater scared to touch him. He was giving off such a threatening vibe and she was worried it was going to lash out at her.

“If she was involved with Dimitri, then she could be just as ruthless as he was.” He turned on the couch to face her better, trying to let go of his anger.

“Dimitri is the guy you killed?” She was going to try to put it all together. There were so many things that she didn’t know, and she figured she might as well start getting some answers.

“Yes. He betrayed me and turned me over to Ray Bulgarin. Ray is the man who died last night in the plane crash. They both wanted me dead, for different reasons. I called you about needing some advice. Do you remember?” He placed his hand over hers and untangled them from her sweater. He didn’t want her to ruin it.

“Yes. I think I do. It was about some deal, and if you should work with someone you didn’t trust.” She racked her brain for the phone conversation they had. It felt like such a long time ago to her, even if it was only a few days ago.

“Right. I was asked to make a deal happen for Jimmy, by working with Dimitri again. I told Jimmy I couldn’t due to my own feud with Dimitri. I’ve recently found out that the deal was never going to happen. I don’t think Jimmy knew of the plan; he was too self-absorbed to understand the level of hate between everyone. Dimitri hired the two men who attacked you to bring you to where I was going to be captured.” He fixed his eyes on the coffee table trying to block out the mental images that wanted to surface with the conversation.

“They sure didn’t seem like they wanted to bring me anywhere…” Her eyes watered and she closed them tightly. They had never said anything about taking her out of the house… only about how they wanted to _take_ her.

“I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hands trying to offer some form of comfort.

“If they were going to eventually take me someplace, what was going to happen?” She was starting to put a timeline together. There were large gaps of information missing, but she was getting the idea of it all. People wanted to kill Niko for whatever reasons, but she couldn’t figure out why they wanted to capture her.

And there was the question he wanted to avoid, “They were going to torture you to hurt me. Then kill us both I assume. I ended up killing everyone on the boat where I was going to be captured. I was on my way home when I drove by your place. Something didn’t seem right to me. I tried to get ahold of Packie, and he took too long to answer me. I just decided to check things out on my own.” He turned back to look at her and lifted his hand to wipe a long tear away from her cheek.

“I’m still very thankful for your timing. I wasn’t sure how much fight I had left in me.” Her voice was small as the daunting truth settled on her. She was going to be tortured in front of him on some random boat. All because some asshole wanted to hurt Niko.

“I’m sorry it happened in the first place.” He took both of her hands in his, “I am sorry you were hurt because of me.”

“This Dimitri wanted to hurt you. That’s not your fault. And now he’s gone. The people who attacked the hospital are still his men?” She held his hands tightly as more things were explained to her. She would hold it together and be brave as Niko talked through everything.

“I think so. It’s the only thing I can think of. I have no other enemies out there after me. I honestly thought with Ray’s death things would be over. So it has to be people who were loyal to Dimitri. And Rebecca must be someone who is loyal to him, even in death.” He narrowed his eyes as he voiced his thoughts. All the major players were gone. Even those who worked under them were either dead, in jail, or didn’t have a quarrel with him. He was at a complete loss on who kept targeting him.

“There can’t be too many more of them out there right? I can only imagine how many were killed last night at the hospital.” She shocked herself with how indifferent she felt about these people being killed. But after going through being violated, she wished them all to be dead. ‘ _I just wish Niko wasn’t the one to have to carry out the sentencing…’_

“I’m sure their numbers are dwindling. Most people should get the message to move on after the attack. Rebecca poses a different problem. Depending on where she ranked in Dimitri’s gang, she might be the one calling the shots. It’s possible, but not very likely.” He brushed his thumb over her knuckles. He felt somewhat better at letting her know some of what was going on.

“It would explain why she said what she said to you before getting on the back of the motorcycle.” She shuddered at the thought of being at Dimitri’s mercy.

Niko paused in his thinking with her words. ‘ _Dimitri would have had fun with her…’_ Her words echoed around in his mind. Those eyes were devoid of warmth. ‘ _She must have been very close to Dimitri to still want to come after me…’_ It gave him something else to think on; something much darker than what he was originally thinking of when it came to her. His hands stilled over Kate’s as a single thought brushed through his brain. ‘ _Was Dimitri involved with someone?’_

She could see he had gone internal. Their conversation stalling as he didn’t respond to her last sentence. She shifted on the couch and untangled her hands from his. She pulled on the sweater to move it off of her bite mark, as it was starting to itch. “Do you need some time? I can start packing things up to give you a minute?” She felt uncomfortable now in the silence that descended upon them.

“I can pack it all up while you talk to Mallorie? Is there a lot left to pack?” He snapped out of his thoughts. He needed a few more minutes to himself to be able to process the news of Gerry’s death, as well as dwell on Rebecca’s involvement with Dimitri. He wasn’t sure why more and more people kept coming after them. ‘ _Unless someone new is calling the shots and is trying to honor Dimitri’s death?’_

“It’s mostly together. There is a bag from Clara Krow I need, the jewelry in the bathroom, and my dress in the closet.” She watched as he got up from the couch, grabbed his rifle, and headed back toward the bedroom without a word. He was worrying her now, and it caused her to bite her lower lip. Niko was always very quiet and reserved. At least he had been when they first started to hang out. But she had gotten him to talk more than she ever heard him speak in the last two days, and his silence was painful. She would give him a few more minutes before seeking him out.

The phone caught her attention and she picked it up to make the call to Mallorie. If anyone could help snap her out of the funk she found herself in, it would be Mallorie. She scrolled through his list of contacts before finding her name. The name below Mallorie’s caused Kate’s eyebrows to draw down in confusion. ‘ _Michelle? Who is Michelle?’_ Carefully she selected Mallorie’s name and hit the call button. It didn’t take long for the call to connect.

“ _Hey girl! I just got to Bernie’s and he’s got a bath going for me. If you hurry, you can join me in a good long soak before getting our hair and makeup done!”_

“That actually sounds really fucking good right now. Could use something to help me relax.” She felt hurt and mad at how Niko had dismissed the conversation. She knew he probably had things that were better left unsaid, but he could handle it differently. Had they not just spent most of the night and morning letting each other in and embracing each other?

“ _Uhhh. You two fighting already?”_

“No! Just. It’s complicated. Did you need me to stop and pick up _you know what_?” She looked toward the bedroom half expecting him to be standing there watching her. She had snapped the word no in a harsh way, and with how attentive he had been lately, he was bound to pick up on her distress.

“ _Nope! I picked that up on my way over here. But I’m going to take it once you’re here. I don’t have the mental stability to face that answer alone.”_ She heard what sounded like Bernie protesting in the background and she smiled at how insulted he spoke.

“I understand. Does Bernie know or suspect?”

“ _Yes and no. We can talk more when you get here.”_ There was a rustling sound before Bernie spoke into the phone, “ _My dear you best hurry. I can NOT work my magic in short periods of time. Tell Niko to let you out of bed and get your sexy little self over here. I wish to get my hands on your hair.”_ There was a huff before she could hear Mallorie giggling on the call.

“Okay. We are packing up now and will be leaving shortly. Thanks again for letting me crash your prewedding rituals.” She had to smile thinking about the wedding and getting to spend some time with Mallorie and Bernie.

_“Well what is my maid of honor supposed to be doing on my special day, but tending to me?”_ Mallorie let out a laugh.

“This is all very true. I’ll see you soon. Keep the water warm for me!” She smiled before hanging up the phone. ‘ _At least they are in a good mood…’_

Kate stood up from the couch trying to decide if she needed to leave Niko alone a little longer or if she should go check on him. He had seemed so livid at first, but also looked devastated if one knew what to look for. The sniper rifle caught her attention on the kitchen counter. It sat propped up and looked downright evil. It was as if she was a fly drawn to the light, and she found herself standing in front of the matte black rifle. She ran the tip of her finger along the long barrel, tracing over the finish till she made it to the buttstock. Silver boxy lettering caught her attention and she wondered what it said.

‘ _You aren’t so scary, are you? Just a piece of metal used to kill. That’s all. Just like the other gun.’_ She tapped the top of the scope as if it would jump out at her. She was getting better at not fearing weapons in his apartment. Ones in the hands of other people… That was another subject to dwell on for a later time. She glanced down the hall hoping to see Niko moving around, but when he didn’t cross into her line of sight she sighed.

Niko sat on the edge of the bed trying to get his thoughts together. Gerry was gone. Killed in a cage. And there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. He could almost guarantee these people were going to ambush the wedding. He just didn’t know their attack plan. He heard her steps before she rounded the corner and he schooled his features quickly.

“I know you asked me to leave it, but I need to know if you’re okay. We are partners, and I can’t sit by when I can tell something is bothering you. Don’t close me off from your pain Niko. You’ve seen mine so plainly. Let me help shoulder the burden.” She sat down next to him and leaned into his shoulder. She would try a different approach. She didn’t need to know the details just yet, just that if he was hurting, she was willing to help.

“The wedding. I am worried about the wedding.” He kept his eyes straight ahead and focused on the dresser. He wasn’t ready to face her.

“That’s what all the guns and ammo are for?” She looked behind them to the bed where he had laid the rifle down into its case.

“Yes. I know they will attack it. It’s too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.” He let out the breath he had been holding in.

“Then how would you go about ambushing a wedding? These people seem to be hitting you where it hurts. So how, or better yet, who, would be the ideal target today to make the biggest impact?” She would help walk him through it. She had seen enough of his fighting to know he had been trained well. If he could fire a weapon and not even blink at the ramifications, then he would know how to plan out the attack.

“You. You are the biggest target. Roman is equal as far as hurting me. But the same could go for Mallorie now that I believe she’s expecting. Really any of my friends could be potential targets. Rebecca must have been a spy for Dimitri’s men. Roman pretty much told her everything about the rehearsal dinner and wedding. I caught him flirting with her before we left to get the wedding rings.” It was his biggest fear. Even with all the extra protection from IAA, Francis, and Little Jacob’s crew, they were going to be fighting off a rather large scale attack.

“You think it will be like the attack on Derrick’s funeral?” She had spent several days at her therapist’s office going over what had happened and why it had affected her so much. If the church was ambushed like the funeral was, it was going to be a chaotic day. But Niko and Packie had managed to protect the church all by themselves. Francis, the man from dinner, Bernie, Little Jacob, and Brucie were going to be there. She felt somewhat better now that she looked at it in certain terms.

“It’s possible. The Albanian’s were sloppy in their approach. The men last night at the hospital had a clear plan to enter the place undetected. We will be more prepared for a strike. But it still doesn’t make it any less dangerous. I will be worried about you the entire time if they attack at the wedding. I will also be worried for Roman and Mallorie. Roman wouldn’t know how to shoot a gun even if it could shoot itself.” He placed his hand on her knee wanting to feel her.

“You don’t give him enough credit. His wife will be there, his _pregnant_ wife. You can’t tell me he wouldn’t go all out to keep her safe and protected. And I will be by your side. I’ll take cover close enough or within your line of sight if that helps. But I can promise you I will not do anything stupid. You tell me where to go, and I’ll listen. I know this isn’t easy for you.” She moved his arm to be able to snuggle into his side. ‘ _Since when have I become so good at guiding him? He’s been doing everything he can to help me, its about time I start returning the favor…’_

He pulled her close and leaned into her, “I need to know you will be safe if there is an attack. If we get separated, find Bernie or Bernard, the man from dinner, and you stay with them. They will keep you safe no matter what.” He placed a kiss to the crown of her head. If things got crazy, he would feel better knowing she was protected and safe. He wouldn’t be able to focus on killing people if he was constantly needing to look out for her.

“I’ll listen to you and follow your lead. I may be a very stubborn girl, but not in this situation.” She tilted back to be able to look into his eyes. She wanted to see if she was helping him feel better or if he was still in the same mood.

“You are definitely stubborn, but you’re my stubborn girl.” He kissed her lips before she could retort, silencing the comeback he saw in her eyes.

“I’ll show you stubborn!” She flopped back on the bed and tugged him to her, pulling him in for another kiss. “I’m not moving from this spot till you start to feel better.” She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“And how do you plan on making me feel better Miss Stubborn?” He hovered just above her body, shifting his weight to be able to move over her into a better position. He could see the mischief building in her eyes, and his own teasing nature returned. He would give in to her for now, and deal with everyone else later.

“I thought you’d never ask!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to those who have favorited/ followed this story! Definitely gives me the energy to keep working on it and posting new chapters. 
> 
> I am hoping to have the next chapter up this month. Hitting writers block with action scenes and moving the story forward. But in the mean time thanks for reading this story and I hope everyone enjoys it!


	8. That Special Someone

_“I thought you’d never ask!”_

She had said the words so casually and enthusiastically, smirk firmly in place. The clothes had come off in a blur, hands sought out each other, mouths fought one another for dominance. At some point the gun cases had fallen off the edge of the bed making a loud clatter, but the two lovers paid it no mind. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so comfortable sharing his personal space with someone. Or when he so easily let himself get distracted. Kate had managed to shove her way into his guarded heart and was dangerously close to claiming it as her own. She steadied him when he felt unbalanced. She grounded him through his rage. And she caused him to want to be a better man.

He easily let his mind drift from the death of Gerry, finding Rebecca, and the wedding. All that no longer mattered. Only the female that clung to his body as he worked her over into ecstasy mattered. She provided an outlet for him- to be ‘normal’. Whatever normal was. He had long given up the notion of being normal or correct. He did what he thought he had to in order to survive. Killing, stealing, lying, cheating, and moving on with his mission in life. Here was the completeness that was missing after killing Dimitri. Here was the utter fulfillment that should have come with letting Darko go. She was the one thing his life was missing and needing.

And he found himself willing to do anything and everything to keep her. 

Niko sat in front of the laptop at the kitchen island. They had rapidly burned into an inferno and came undone just as quickly. And now left in the afterglow of another round of passionate love making, he struggled to find the will to show her the images from the flash drive he recovered. He could hear her humming away in the bathroom as she cleaned up and finished getting ready to leave for Bernie’s. The last thing he wanted to do was bring her down from the happiness that kept her floating off the ground. But he knew she needed to see them, and possibly identify the motorcycle assailant. As difficult as it would be, he needed to be honest and upfront with her going forward.

He opened the file on the laptop and pulled up the first image from the folder. He wanted to know where she was going over by Playboy X’s place. She was in her usual jeans and sweater get up, but had taken the sweater off, and was on the phone. The picture was from behind her, her face partially turned looking into a random storefront, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled down on his shoulders. She had been out in the open, exposed, and could have very easily been grabbed. She was too relaxed, and he would need to show her to be more cautious. That wasn’t the safest part of town, but then again, the whole city wasn’t the safest place in the world.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say something was bothering you more than normal.” Kate softly spoke as she walked into the kitchen area, dressed once again in the green sweater, black leggings, and boots. Her hair was down and curling wildly around her face, making the darkening purple of her bruise stand out against the pale skin of her cheek. The markings on her neck were also deepening in color making them look worse than the day before, and the red cut lines on her chest stood out. Her eyes immediately lowered to the ground when she noticed him staring.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He held his hand out for her and she hesitantly took it, letting him pull her toward him. He gently tilted her face up to be able to inspect the bruises closely. “Do they hurt more than they have been? I can give you something for the pain. I know Mallorie will do her best to cover them.” He guided her to lean against him and cupped her uninjured cheek. He felt his anger come alive inside him seeing her shy away from his touch. He knew how much the injuries bothered her, and he refused to be the reason she shrank away from his sight.

“It’s just difficult to look at myself in the mirror. I know you see them. And I know everyone else sees them too. It’s like I’ve been marked or something. I just want to be able to feel like myself again. I have glimpses at times. You do an amazing job at giving me other things to think about.” She blushed and lightly smiled at the thoughts that brushed across her mind. He had been rather thorough in his need to see her satisfied last night and this morning. ‘ _Especially this morning…’_

“You do not need to worry then. For I can always shift your focus.” He playfully patted her hip, causing her real smile to bloom.

“Yes you do. Now. Why do you have the laptop open? Do we not need to get going?” She leaned into his arms and turned to face the computer. Immediately she froze. She knew that was her in the picture. There was no mistaking her typical hairstyle, clothing choices, and where she had been going. “Where did you get this?” Her voice faltered as the memories crashed against her.

“This was on a USB that I took from one of the men who attacked you. I think you deserve to see what was on it. And maybe you can help me figure out why they took certain photos?” He shifted her to be able to face the screen better and kept his hands firmly on her waist. He wouldn’t push her if it got to difficult. But he needed to know why certain places were significant, while others were not. ‘ _There has to be a reason they only documented her in these areas, and not everywhere.’_

“Well. I definitely remember that day. I was on my way to therapy to deal with Gerry getting put back in prison, when I got the call from Francis that Derrick had been shot. It was extremely hot outside, I had just taken my sweater off, when my phone started to ring. I remember stumbling into the nearest store to use the restroom. I don’t like having panic attacks in public spaces. I found the closest place that would allow me to be closed off from everyone. I definitely didn’t make the appointment to say the least. I knew Ma wouldn’t take the news well.” She reached out and trailed her finger over the image of herself. “You think someone was following me that day? That was almost three months ago.”

“If it wasn’t the two men who attacked you, then it was someone they work for. And I do believe they were following you.” He gave her a gentle hug, trying to give her some form of comfort. ‘ _Maybe they were waiting to see how she would react to Derrick’s death. But if that is the case, then they must know who killed him, when it was going to happen, and where to locate her…’_ He didn’t like where his thoughts were headed.

“Strange that they would catch me at that exact moment…” She mumbled before reaching out and clicking the arrow button to move on to the next image. She had to smile seeing the salon shop. “Well I guess it isn’t much of a secret. I go to this salon every other week. I may not be much of a girly girl, but I do enjoy getting pampered every now and then. I don’t make much money working at the community center, and most of it went to paying for Ma’s medicine, but what money I did have left over got spent on things I wanted.”

“Do you need to call your job? Surely they are missing you.” It hadn’t occurred to him, but she had missed Friday, and here it was Saturday.

“I highly doubt they miss me. No one ever talked to me there. We all kept to ourselves, unless of course, you became the subject of office gossip. The first time you picked me up from work was like a damn circus. They swarmed me the next day bombarding me with questions about the sexy, mysterious man who had whisked me away from my work in a fancy sports car.” She glanced over her shoulder at him to see him only shrug. He had wanted to see her, and she had been at work. It shouldn’t have been a big deal to simply pick her up after work.

“I called you. You answered. If you didn’t want me picking you up from work, you could have said no.” He tilted his head to the side giving her a small smirk. He knew he was only teasing. There was no way she would have said no to him.

“Oh really? And crush your spirits? I don’t think so.” She smiled back at him and turned her attention to the laptop once more, clicking on the arrow to see the next few photos. Most were of her coming and going from work, the salon, and then the last image popped up. She was sitting down outside of Bean Machine. The man she had met about a year ago was across from her at the small café table. Clean shaven, dark hair, dark eyes, side smirk. He had immigrated to Liberty to live the American dream. They had bonded over their work breaks and family drama.

“Sergei. He was so painfully shy. But very proud of his motorcycle. He had this jacket he wore every single day. Even when it was sweltering hot outside. It was mostly black, with a little bit of white to it. There was a large white bird looking thing on the back. He disappeared about four, maybe five, months ago. Honestly now that I think about it, once I met you, he all but disappeared from my life.” She mused as she leaned in to get a better look at his jacket. “He doesn’t look like he has the same jacket as the man on the motorcycle, but they do have the same patch on the sleeve. Is there a way to zoom in?” She sat down in his lap and pulled the laptop closer to her.

Niko recognized the jacket immediately. It was the typical Albanian jacket. There was one still hanging in his closet from the man Gerry had killed in order for him to impersonate an Albanian mobster to kill Frankie Garone, an Ancelotti Capo. ‘ _I swear if Gerry killed this man, and I have his jacket in my closet, I’m going to find a way to bring Gerry to life just to kill him all over again…’_ He reached around her and selected the zoom icon to be able to enlarge the patch.

“Thanks.” She clicked over his arm to be able to see the patch better. She could only zoom in so far before it became pixelated. “I think it’s the same patch that was on the man last night. It’s the same size and shape. But I don’t know the language. Or if it’s juts symbols.” She tucked her hair behind her ears nervously. She hoped Sergei hadn’t found himself involved with the wrong crowd.

“I don’t know this language. It’s not one I can read or speak. But I have a fairly good guess. He’s wearing the Albanian coat of arms on his jacket. Your friend was probably part of the Albanian gang. The very one that attacked Derrick’s funeral.” He may not speak the language, but he recognized the jacket, and had seen plenty of Albanian mobsters at the funeral. He felt her stiffen with his words and he lightly rubbed her back. “I’m sorry.” He hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but she needed to know that he was possibly scouting her for information instead of just friendship. ‘ _I am almost certain Gerry picked this guy to be the one I impersonated…’_

“Did you see him specifically at the funeral?” Her bottom lip trembled. She didn’t want to believe that someone so kind, shy, and rather quiet would be ambushing a funeral. And she really didn’t want to think that Niko had possibly shot the man. Her mind began to swim with all the possibilities, and she rubbed at her temples to quiet her thoughts down.

“No. But I also wasn’t really paying attention to their faces. I saw a weapon, I killed them. They were trying to kill everyone there at the funeral. Packie needed help protecting everyone, so I helped.” This was bordering on what he was comfortable talking about. She was edging her way to dangerous topics, and he was not ready to face them yet. In all honesty he was more surprised by the ambush at the funeral to care about who the people were shooting at him. He had feared for Kate’s life and the life of her Ma. He was not about to let any of them live who attacked the funeral.

“I am glad you were there. Things may have gone very differently had you not been there to back up my brother.” Her thoughts were absolutely flying now about the possibility that she had been yet again used as a pawn in her family’s business. Jason had only been interested as a way to use her against her family. And now Sergei could have been doing the same thing? It caused her stomach to churn violently. ‘ _I am really that blind? Had he been trying to get close to me in order to get info on Derrick?’_

“I was there for you and Packie.” It was partially true. He was also there to seek penance. Things had all started to go so wrong in his life, and he didn’t know what to do anymore. He felt bad for killing Derrick. But he felt worse for what it did to those left behind. He had watched their Ma crumble during the service, Kate holding on to her, Packie hunched over next to them on the pew. He had made eye contact with Kate when he arrived, and he knew Derrick’s death affected her more than she let on. 

“I know. Thank you.” She whispered reaching out and clicking the arrow button to see if there were any other images she could figure out. It cycled back to the first one and she closed the laptop. Her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a long sigh. “Niko?”

“Yes Kate?” He watched as she closed the laptop and all but deflated in his lap. He started rubbing her sides softly wishing he could bring her back to her previous mood.

“You aren’t just with me as a way to get into my family’s business or somehow use me to get ahead? Right?” She folded her hands on the counter and waited for his answer. She didn’t want to think this was all some kind of ploy, but she needed to be sure. Every other male in her life had other motives, and now that she was head over heels in love with Niko, she wanted to hear him say it. To clear away the small amount of fear and doubt that wanted to cling to her heart.

“Pretty sure I was working for every one of your brothers before we started to hang out. There would have been no need to involve you, if that is what you are worried about. Packie gave me your number randomly after a job and asked me to take you out. I wasn’t going to at first. You know how your brothers are.” He chose his words carefully. He could guess at where she was going, and it slightly hurt his feelings. Had he not professed his love for her already? And explained that he never gave such declarations easily?

“Yes I do. So you and me? We are together because it’s what we want, and not for some stupid job or mission?” She slid from his lap and turned to face him. She studied him through slanted eyes making sure he got the point. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he confessed to simply using her to get ahead in life. He had been everything she could ever want in a partner, and she grasped on to the hope that he wasn’t just using her.

“I am with you because I want to be. No one is forcing me, there is nothing to gain from this relationship outside of it, and I’m not doing this because Packie asked.” He grabbed her hands in his and squeezed them to get his words across. “I would not have stopped by your Ma’s place if I didn’t care. I would not have continuously checked in on you, gone through the motions, or kept calling, if I was not into you.” He narrowed his eyes at her, signaling she was starting to offend him with her words.

“Thank you. For being honest. It’s hard to find out that every other person in my life had been sent to either cause me harm or get in good with my brothers. I thought I was immune from it all. I now know I wasn’t. That’s why I was so hesitant to let myself fall for you. But I-” Her voice died in her throat. One of her greatest fears was falling for him, and him turning out to be exactly what she didn’t want to be involved with. He was proving her wrong at every turn, but somewhere she couldn’t shake the feeling that the other shoe was going to drop. She swallowed thickly, “But I fell so deeply for you. I am scared Niko.”

The photos had shown her just how exposed she was to the world. Just how easily she could have been taken out and no one would know for hours. She had invited Jason and Sergei into her life without a second thought. She had brushed off Rebecca’s rude personality as nothing more sinister than simple jealousy. Had so blindly expected her family to just go on each day as if the world didn’t want them gone. But she understood now. She knew the target that sat firmly on her back and could feel the weight of it. She bit back the sob that wanted to bubble up her dry throat. Her vision blurred as the tears formed in her eyes.

“Kate. There is no reason to be scared.” He tugged on their joined hands and wrapped his arms around her. He tucked her body against his and offered what comfort he could, “I have tied up a lot of loose ends in this city recently. I feel like it’s time to move on, start living my life right. It starts with you and me.” He leaned his head on hers and let out a quiet sigh. He wished he could simply just remove them from their current situation and place them in a more peaceful one.

“I know a lot of people are dead. But there are still others out there. Do you think you can just walk away from all that?” She snuggled into his embrace and tried to loosen the knot in her chest. ‘ _He had said he wanted to get away from it all. That I was worth giving up the criminal life for…’_

“I can try.” It was all he could offer her. So much was going on, and there weren’t many answers to give. He thought he had successfully cut all ties with Dimitri by killing him. But another person was clearly pulling the strings and calling the shots now.

“Rebecca is still out there. The motorcycle guy is out there. That’s it right?” She opened her eyes and looked at the sniper rifle that rested on the kitchen counter. ‘ _As much as I hate the thought of killing, I wish he had just killed the two of them last night. Then we could have avoided this conversation and be happily getting ready for Mallorie and Roman’s wedding. Blissfully unaware of the dangers out in the world. Just happy to be with one another and in love.’_

“They should be the only ones left. I will deal with them. And then we can start our lives together.” He felt some of the tension leave her body as he continued to rub her back lovingly. 

“I’d like that. I’d like to get past what happened to me. I’d like to move forward with you. And who knows? Maybe one day it will be us that wake up on our wedding day and end up being late to Bernie’s to get ready.” She let out a quiet laugh relaxing under Niko’s touch. They had taken a long time getting ready, and she was sure Mallorie was fuming in her bath waiting for her.

“Who knows. Maybe one day.”

aaaaaa

“I thought you were supposed to be resting?” Gerry asked as he entered the main living space of the apartment. He had gone in search of food when he spotted Karen sitting on the couch.

“I am. Can’t you tell?” Karen was sprawled out on the large leather couch in front of a wall of TV monitors. Her leg was propped up on the coffee table, heavily bandaged, and she had attached the bag of IV fluids to the tall lamp next to her. She had disassembled an assault rifle and was cleaning the parts of it on her bare lap. She glanced his way before focusing on one of the monitors, “Comm One is clear. Move your sights to the left to cover the side alley.” She clicked a button on a half headset she had on to end her transmission to the agent at the church. One of the monitors labeled Comm One shifted the view over to have a better shot on the alley.

“If you call that resting.” Gerry grumbled and walked over to the stainless steel fridge, “Anything to eat around here?” He glared over his shoulder toward Karen trying to not get agitated over her dismissive attitude.

“I think there is some leftover pizza in the microwave. Otherwise you might have to cook yourself something.” Karen called out keeping her eyes on the rifle she was cleaning. ‘ _Honestly find something to eat. I’m not your mom…’_

“Whatever.” He shut the fridge and moved over to the microwave in search of the pizza.

“Agent I thought I told you to rest and get some sleep. I can handle this.” Bernard emerged from the master bedroom door, fully dressed in standard IAA clothes, bullet proof vest over his dress shirt, and armed. He was carrying a couple of extra bullet proof vests under one arm and a black gun case in the other.

“Boss this is my assignment. If I am to keep my true one a secret, I still have to carry out my other duties. Plus, I’m just helping set up outside surveillance. No big deal.” She started to reassemble the rifle, satisfied it was cleaned and ready to use. “Comm Two check in.” She covered her ear that held the communication device to help block out the noise Gerry was making in the kitchen.

“Fine. But you are to only do surveillance.” Her boss walked over to the couch and dropped the vests onto the nearby armchair. Very carefully he placed the black case down on the floor before sitting down next to his agent, picking up the heavy tablet to be able to switch between cameras on the larger monitor. He wanted to check the cameras and that the angles were correct.

“I’m fine.” She scoffed, slamming the barrel into place with more force than was necessary. She was getting really tired of having people tell her what to do when it came to her mission. She would carry it out as she saw fit!

“No, you are _not_ fine. You are injured. You will compromise the mission further if someone is having to look out for you instead of counting on you to have their back. This isn’t up for debate. You will follow my orders here. Keep watch while I am there and see if you can track down Natalya. We catch her, we can end all this.” He eyed his agent and spoke harshly. He would not be putting her back in the field with her injuries. She needed time to heal properly. The prison break turned out to be more strenuous then it should have been. He also had this suspicion he couldn’t shake about her own safety.

“I’m not a child! I can help!” She tested the firing mechanism on the rifle trying to channel her anger into something else. She lined up the sights and aimed at one of the TV monitors.

“You are fighting back like one.” He didn’t bother to look at her as she messed with the rifle, keeping his attention to the tablet and camera angles. He knew pulling her from the field was not going to sit well with her, but he didn’t have a choice. Her leg was badly injured, and she had almost drowned in the river rescuing Gerry. ‘ _Went from extraction to a rescue mission. This day is only just getting started too…’_

“You two related or something? I’m getting a weird Father/ Daughter vibe here.” Gerry walked back over to the two IAA agents and sat down on the other couch, keeping his distance from the female who looked ready to start shooting people. He scarfed down a couple of slices of pizza while he listened to them bicker over something.

“No!” Karen almost shouted, slamming the fully assembled rifle down on the coffee table.

“No.” Bernard calmly stated, not even flinching at the noise the rifle made. He clicked over to a camera that was guarding the back entrance by the cemetery. He studied it for a second before deciding to check in with his field agents. He reached out and pulled the communication device from her ear and placed the half headset over his own ear. “Comm Four? Did you check out the black van that is parked just out of your viewpoint? There shouldn’t be any deliveries or vehicles parked back there. Run the plates and call me with what you find. Over and out.” He removed the headset and handed it back to Karen who was silently fuming at him.

“I said I can do my job.” Karen seethed, jerking the headset away from him and placing it back over her own ear. She was in no mood to be coddled or babied. She could handle making sure the place was secured, and she didn’t need her boss checking her work.

“I’m sure you can.” He would talk to her later about her attitude and controlling her outbursts in front of other people, especially someone not in the IAA. “Gerry. I see you found the clothes I brought over for you. Glad it all fits. I’ll be leaving here shortly with Niko. I have some things to discuss with him. Can I trust the two of you to not kill each other while I’m gone?” He shifted his focus over to the man they had helped get out of prison.

“I think you should be more concerned about spitfire here, then me. I’m cool to just sit here. But I do think it’s messed up we lied to Francis. I can only image what Katie is going through right now.” He watched as Karen pulled her pistol to her lap and started to take it apart to be cleaned. Her face was flushed, and he could almost see the steam coming from her ears. He could sympathize slightly. He always hated being talked down to by his Pa and Derrick in front of others.

“We need them to play the part of sad mourners. Natalya will be watching closely. If she believes you are dead, then she won’t be looking for you. She will inadvertently give us an opening. And I can almost guarantee she is going to attack the wedding today. Too good of an opportunity to pass up.” He took a sidelong glance to his agent hoping she’d calm down some before he had to leave. She was unpredictable when angry, and if the hospital fiasco was anything to go off of, she was itching to start something with whoever crossed her path.

“This wedding. Who is it for? And why does it involve me?” He was missing some of the story having only received bits and pieces from Karen while escaping the prison. And from what he gathered there was one crazy bitch after his sister and Niko.

“Niko’s cousin, Roman, is getting married today. He asked Kate to be his date. And since there has already been several attempts on her life, Niko’s, and your brother’s life, we needed to secure the other targets. That’s why I showed up this morning in your cell. The wedding is public, open, and a fairly easy target. Your brother Derrick’s funeral is indication that it can happen.” Karen brushed vigorously on her pistol to let some of her anger out while explaining to Gerry what was going on.

“Derrick’s funeral?” He watched the two people in the room still their movements and look at each other.

“It was ambushed by the Albanian’s. Retaliation for the slight you caused them. Packie and Niko killed the men attacking the church. While I don’t think it will be the Albanian’s today, we know that Natalya will be using the same men that attacked the hospital and prison, to ambush the wedding.” Karen stopped cleaning her pistol to look up to Gerry’s face. She figured he knew these things, but maybe Packie hadn’t been so forthcoming.

“I see. Makes sense that this bitch would want to eliminate her enemies with one go.” Gerry spoke softly. His mind was racing with the new information. ‘ _Packie has some explaining to do. I knew something happened, but not the extent of it.’_

“Precisely. The trap will be set for her. And we will get her today.” Bernard stood up and walked over to the dining room table that was covered in various weapons and loaded magazines. He started tucking extra ammo into his belt holster, checking his own weapons, and adjusting his holster straps.

“But if she’s smart, she won’t show.” Gerry leaned forward on the couch getting a better look at the monitors. Every entrance and exit had a camera trained on it. Even the main street leading to the church had the traffic camera feeds displayed on a monitor. ‘ _They definitely have eyes and ears everywhere…’_

“Niko killed the love of her life and her cousin. She will show.” Karen clicked her gun back together, loaded a full magazine, and placed it back into her holster on the couch.

“All the more reason we need to make sure to keep everyone safe. She’s out on a full blown revenge mission.” Bernard walked back over to the couch and picked up his gun case. “I’m going to load up the vehicle before Niko gets here. Keep an eye out on the church. And make sure the ground team checks out that van. I don’t like how close it is to the church.” He nodded to his agent before turning on his heel and exiting the apartment.

“He’s pleasant.” Gerry waited for the door to close before muttering his thoughts out loud.

“He has his moments. Today is just stressful.” Karen leaned back into the couch and tilted her head to the side to be able to see him. A wave of calm washed over her as her boss left the apartment. If there was one thing that always put her on edge, it was him, and the way he watched over her work as if she were going to fail. But the longer the two sat looking at one another, the more uneasy she began to feel.

“I can see that.” Gerry stood slowly, maintaining eye contact, and moved around the couch to take a seat next to her. He saw she had changed shirts, it was a light blue long sleeve dress shirt, and hung loosely around her torso. The top few buttons were undone, and he could just make out the white straps of her bra. One of the sleeves was rolled up past her elbow on one arm where he saw the IV attached to her arm giving her fluids. His eyes traveled down to her legs that were completely bare, except for a thick bandage that wrapped around her entire thigh down to her knee. ‘ _Just how bad was the gunshot wound? And if it was that bad, then why go through the trouble of trying to get me out of prison?’_

Their eyes met and he felt himself wanting to question her on everything that led her to this moment. But the slight edge he saw form in her eyes caused him to swallow and back off. Figuring he’d only get small talk out of her, he sighed, “You just get comfortable not wearing clothes around complete strangers?”

“It’s just so my leg doesn’t get irritated. The bandage is too big to fit under my uniform pants.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and flattened her new dress shirt she put on. She felt awkward now that she was left alone in her bosses apartment with Gerry partially undressed. She had seen the way he observed her, and it took every ounce of strength to keep it together. It was as if he striped her bare with his eyes before deciding to keep his thoughts to himself. Her insides squeezed painfully with his assessment of her and she wondered if she met his expectations or not. Pulling herself from her thoughts she noticed another gun on the coffee table and reached out to start taking it apart to be cleaned.

“Okay.” He studied her closely. It may have been a long time since he was in close proximity to a female, but she was definitely giving off mixed signals. He had listened in to her conversation with the medic, who he assumed was friends with Niko, and had a million questions to ask. He shifted on the couch to face her more and prepared to start his line of questioning. He tucked a leg up on the couch and leaned into the back cushion of the leather couch getting comfortable.

“I know you were listening. The shower never started, and it was too quiet in your room. What is it you want to know?” She removed the slide of the pistol she was working on and turned it over to look for dirt or imperfections in the barrel. She would keep her hands busy to keep from shaking. He was making her nervous, and she was extremely unprepared to defend herself should he chose to attack. Either attack her to do harm or _attack_ her for other reasons. Several scenarios she would be more than willing to partake in.

“I guess everything. I only know that I’m sitting here because someone is after Niko, and because he is the main target, my family is in danger. Not that I’m complaining about being free- I just need to know.” He turned away from her knowing look. He studied the monitors trying to not show how uncomfortable he was with her and the whole situation he found himself in. He felt underprepared for what he was faced with. There was no one else to talk to, no one else to bounce ideas off of, and he desperately missed being in his Ma’s place laughing it up with Packie and the boys.

“Let’s start at the beginning.”

aaaaaa

“Niko?” Kate shifted on her seat in the car. Her nerves were fraying the longer they sat outside the nice looking apartment building in Middle Park West. They had packed up fairly quickly. Thankfully, the lobby was absent of residents and Tom. Niko had looked rather daunting carrying the sniper, assault rifle, and combat shotgun. A duffle bag thrown over one of his shoulders. She had offered to carry the dress and suit bag, as well as the Clara Krow bag. She kept his pistol firmly in her grasp as they drove over toward Bernie’s apartment. The weight of it a constant reminder that not everything was alright with the world.

“Hm?” Niko watched as she squirmed around minutely. He could tell she was nervous, scared, and worried about how she looked, as well as knowing there were people out there that wanted them dead. This would be the first time Bernie got a good look at her without makeup, and he knew she was fighting herself over the bruises and marks. The ride had been spent in complete silence, and while he used to be used to them having short conversations in the past, this was unlike them now. She had been so open with him, and for her to be so silent, unnerved him.

“He won’t freak out right? Mallorie has at least seen them, most of them, and he hasn’t. Will he be more like Roman? Or will he charge at you like Francis?” She turned to look at her boyfriend, tears forming in her vision. Her fingers tightened over the pistol as her emotions rushed through her. The last thing she wanted was for Bernie to lose it at the sight of her. Why it was bothering her more than it had been was hard to understand. She had been so focused on the dinner, and then when Packie went to the hospital, things went sideways for her. While there was the wedding to think about, so many other things wanted to dominate her thoughts. Rebecca, the mystery motorcycle man, Sergei, Jason, her entire past, Ma being gone, Packie, Francis, Gerry… So much wanted to crash down on her at once.

“I texted him to not react. He hasn’t responded. But I won’t let him say something bad.” He reached out and placed his hand over hers, “Do not worry too much Kate.” Carefully he untangled her fingers from around the barrel to be able to intertwine his fingers with hers. He could almost hear the wheels spinning away in her head. He reached out with his other hand and tucked a curl behind her ear hoping to get her to look at him. 

“Okay. Right. He is a friend.” She glanced to him before looking back out her window and chewed her bottom lip uncertainly. “I just don’t want him to think it was you.” She whispered the words out, not really intending for Niko to comment on them. She held his hand tightly as she fought another round of guilt, fear, and shame that washed down over her spine.

“He won’t.” He lifted their joined hands and placed a light kiss to her knuckles, “Remember, I only see you.”

“Thank you.” She whispered into the enclosed space, “I wish they would just disappear. You deserve so much better.” She dropped her gaze down to her lap and the pistol which was slowly winning her over. So many different emotions fought for control inside her. She wanted to tremble with the amount of fear she held for being out in public and back out in the open with psychos running around. She wanted to collapse under the weight of the target she firmly wore. She wanted to cry in shame over how muddled her skin was with what happened to her. And she wanted to ask Niko to take them back to his apartment so they could just ignore their problems. ‘ _Niko should be with someone who isn’t such a wreck!’_

“I don’t deserve you?” He smiled with his teasing tone, trying to lighten her mood. While her words would have insulted him, he knew better.

“I didn’t say _that_!” Kate turned abruptly to him, shocked he would say such a thing.

“Then do not say things that could lead one to believe something else. I like to think I deserve you. Unless there is someone else that is better than you?” he tilted his head to the side and smirked as her anger flared to life on her face.

“You know how to change my mood too easily. I’m going to have to step up my game!” She smiled at him and shook her head, letting her anger go, “You know pretty much everything about me; how I act, how I think, what I like and don’t like. And yet I can’t read simple emotions from you. Where is the Niko manual?” She opened the glove compartment and shifted through a couple of pieces of paper. “Nope not here…” She turned to open the center console and froze at the sight of a red light blinking. “Niko?”

“What?” He was watching her bemused as she tried to find a manual on him, till she opened the center console and went rigid. He leaned over to see what had caught her attention.

“Should that be blinking?” She pointed to a small black box that had a dim flashing red light.

“I have no idea what that is…” He trailed off and pulled it out of the compartment. He turned it over several times looking for any kind of identification or name. There was a small looking wire that was bent upward like an antenna.

“I think someone is tracking you, or at least this car. It looks like some kind of spy thing. You know? From the movies?” Kate took it from his hand and gave it a once over. “It could be transmitting voice or GPS locations.” She locked eyes with Niko and saw his anger flash across his eyes before he schooled his features.

“I’ll destroy it.” He took the small device from her hand and opened his car door intending to smash the thing to pieces.

“Wait! If whoever put it there finds out we discovered it, we may not get to know who planted it!” She leaned over the gear shift and grabbed his arm to stop him from destroying it. “Give it to your friend. What’s his name? The one from dinner. He might be able to figure it out.” She watched as he contemplated her words. “If this is the people after you, would it not alert them if their signal all of a sudden went out? And it would lead them straight here, where the signal died.”

“You know all this from a movie?” He looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“Well. Yeah. I guess. What? I like movies!” She leaned back into her seat as he moved back into the car.

“It’s smart. But I wonder who planted it and when.” He mused as he studied the device again. ‘ _If it is transmitting conversations, then they have definitely heard quite a bit…’_

“Call your friend. See if he can come pick it up. Then let’s get inside Bernie’s place. I’m ready now.” She nodded at her words. She would be okay. Would have to be okay. Bernie was nice, friendly, and concerned for her and Niko. He wouldn’t betray her trust in him with malicious words. Plus, Mallorie was willing to share a hot bubble bath with her. And she could do with a long hot soak to release some of the tension and aches she felt throughout her body.

Niko glanced outside the windshield and did a double take. “Won’t need to…” Bernard was standing outside the main entrance to Bernie’s apartment building. His arms were crossed, leaning casually against the stone wall, and he was staring at them.

“That’s really creepy. Maybe he planted it.” Kate huffed as she noticed the man standing outside on the sidewalk.

“Would not put it past him. Come on. Let’s go see what he wants.” Niko made to move out of the car before her hand landed on his forearm.

“Take your rifle. Something doesn’t seem right.” Kate lifted her sweater up in the back and went to tuck his pistol into the waistband of her leggings. Something seemed extremely off about him showing up like he did. She had her entire safety net slashed from her life by looking at the photos. She had been careless, open, and ignorant to everything and everyone around her. She would no longer take her freedom for granted. And it started with being cautious while in public.

“I see you have picked up some of my habits. Something does not seem normal. But then again nothing has been lately.” He reached over and helped tuck his pistol into her leggings in a better position. “The safety is on. It’s the black lever on the top. Flip it up. There will be a red dot to indicate it’s ready to fire. Pull it out with your right hand. That will give you the easiest access to the safety switch and put your finger in position to slide on the trigger. Use both hands when firing. And don’t pull it out unless you see me going for my rifle.” He turned the pistol to an angle that would make it easy for her to grab it and simply flip the safety off. Their eyes met and for a split second he saw fear fog up her eyes, before clearing away to be replaced with false confidence.

“I. I can do this. I just want to feel safe. Feeling your pistol press against me, just reminds me to be careful and cautious. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use it but having it with me helps. I don’t even know why. I hate guns.” She lowered her gaze from him not wanting him to read her eyes anymore. ‘ _Not that having a weapon on me means anything. I don’t even know how to fire it, or what it feels like to fire a gun…’_

“I understand more than you think. After the war, I couldn’t sleep unless I had it under my pillow. I would wake from nightmares with the pistol in my hand, ready to fire it, and for some reason the comfort of having it on me, helped me fall back asleep. While I feel bad about you having a weapon on you, I won’t deny you whatever comfort I can give.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him again. “Come. Let’s go see what he wants, then get you in the bath with Mallorie.” He smiled at her when she swatted at him.

“Maybe _you_ planted a bug on me to be able to hear every conversation I have without you present.” She smiled but shook her head. ‘ _So he was listening in._ ’

“I only listen because I care.” He studied her for a second to try and figure out if he was being too overbearing.

“Thank you. You really are protective, and I thank you for it. Волим те (Volim te)” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Bernie is probably about ready to send out a search party. Or Mallorie.”

“волим те лепото (volim te lepoto). Remember that when things get difficult.” He cupped her face and kissed her lips. “Ready?”

“As ready as I will ever be given the circumstances. Let’s get this over with. Then back to the fun activities, okay?” She brushed her lips against his wishing they could simply ignore the world around them and go back to the safety of his bed.

“Yes.” He kissed her again and moved back to open his door.

Together they both exited the vehicle. Kate kept her eyes trained on Niko, following his lead. He reached the front trunk and opened it, immediately pulling his rifle out and around his body. He lifted the suit and dress garment bags out and handed them to Kate before reaching back into the trunk to pull out the paper bag from Clara Krow. Kate took the bag from him without a word, knowing he would need his hands free to use the rifle. He nodded his thanks and turned to face Bernard. He sent him a glare in warning. Kate did not know the fate of her brother and the last thing he needed was Bernard saying the wrong thing.

“Shall we?” Kate shivered as the wind rushed down the street. It was a crisp, sunny morning, but the beautiful sunrise did nothing to lift her spirits.

Niko only nodded and adjusted his rifle to hang right across his body, closing the trunk softly behind him. He placed a hand to the small of her back over his pistol and led them over to his once mysterious contact at ULP. He did one final adjustment to his pistol that rested under her clothing before greeting Bernard. “Morning. Any reason you are at Bernie’s apartment building?”

“Afraid so Niko. Good Morning Katie.” He extended his hand out to her, glancing to Niko for permission first, before taking her held out hand and kissing her knuckles. “Forgive my rude attitude yesterday evening. It was a shock to see you alive and well. But now I see that you didn’t walk away unscathed. I am truly sorry for what happened. My condolences for the passing of your mother as well.” He got his first real look at the damage done to her. He had pulled Francis’ report, but it paled in comparison to seeing the large bruise on her face, the bruises and marks on her neck, and what he could see of the bite mark looked painful. He glanced down to her hand and saw the welts on her wrist. ‘ _She wasn’t spared at all. Those fucking bastards…’_

“Thank you. As you can see for yourself, I am not well. I am healing slowly. Will be better once all these people are gone that are after Niko.” She took in his appearance. He was older looking in the bright light of the morning sun and seemed tired. Dark circles graced his eyes, and they held an understanding to them she had once seen in Niko’s. She removed her hand from his and took a slight step back toward Niko’s side. He gazed at her sadly, as if he knew of all that had happened in great detail, and it made her feel unsteady.

“I’m working on it. Promise.” He softened his voice as he studied her injuries. “ _I can see why you call her beautiful. I am so sorry for what happened to her. If I had known sooner…”_ He tore his eyes away from Kate to Niko wishing he had done more to help prevent this from happening.

“ _You have said so before. No need to repeat. I will take her up to his apartment, then we can talk out in the hall. She does not know, and I wish to keep it that way._ ” Niko spoke quickly and quietly to Bernard, wishing he had not shown up to Bernie’s apartment. He was wanting to put off talking to him for a little bit longer. But then again, he hardly ever got what he wished for.

“Thank you for calling me Лепа ( _Lepa)_. But I like it when it comes from Niko better.” She teased the two men and hugged Niko’s side best she could with the garment bags in her arms. She had heard the word and smiled at knowing at least part of what he was saying.

Bernard chuckled and shook his head, “I see you are teaching her words. It’s smart. And rather adorable. Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.” He gestured toward the door and held it opened for them.

“Soon or later I’ll know enough that you two won’t be able to keep secrets from me.” She stuck her tongue out at Niko before walking into the apartment lobby.

“ _You are so screwed when she does pick up enough.”_ Bernard smirked watching the two of them interact. Niko was like her shadow, constantly keeping his eyes moving around their surroundings and keeping her within reach. She moved, and he followed. Always maintaining a small distance between them as to not hinder Kate’s movements, but close enough to direct her where he wanted her to go. It also allowed him to have any weapon at the ready to be able to protect her from any threat. 

“ _I know other languages. You’re just going to have to brush up on Russian.”_ Niko nodded to him before pulling along a fascinated looking Kate toward the elevators.

“Bernie has great taste. This place is fancy.” She did a full spin looking around the lobby, loving the upscale appearance of the building. Fancy chairs, paintings, and vases filled with large arrangements of flowers graced the interior. The marble floor was glossed and polished and she leaned over to see her reflection on it. ‘ _And I thought Niko’s place was swanky…’_

“Bryce has great taste. Pretty sure he picked this place out and bought it for him.” Niko whispered to her as he pressed the button on the wall to call the elevator. He had been here before several times and wasn’t as impressed with the décor. He never cared for finer things, as he was usually moving from place to place. Material items only slowed him down.

“It’s a nice building. Quiet, no crime, and foreign dignitaries stay here when they conduct unofficial business. So it’s about as secure as it gets. Also, there is no inside cameras. Only exterior ones.” Bernard shrugged when they both looked to him. It’s why he picked the place to live in while stationed in Liberty City.

“Explains why Bryce would put Bernie here. Good cover.” Niko walked into the open elevator and tugged Kate close to his side, placing her away from Bernard.

“It is. No one has been snooping. Then again the ones that were have mysteriously shown up in the morgue.” He smirked and glanced over to see Niko stiffen ever so slightly. He reached out and pressed the fifth floor button, causing the doors to slide shut.

“Fortunate then that no one will be looking at this building. Or for Bernie.” He glared at Bernard from the corner of his eye to stop the conversation where it was. Kate didn’t need to know the details of how he had _helped_ Bernie recently.

“It is very fortunate.” He reached into his suit coat and paused when Niko grabbed his forearm. “I’m just pulling out a cell phone. Gun is at my hip.”

Niko had placed Kate in the corner when he entered the elevator to keep her away from Bernard. And he reacted on instinct when Bernard went to pull something out of his suit coat. “Sorry. Just habit.” He released his arm and moved out of his personal space. “And that isn’t the only weapon on you. Your main pistol is on your right hip, back up revolver is on your right ankle, knife at your belt, handcuffs in the back holster, extra ammo magazines, and I am assuming there is another short blade in the jacket pocket.”

“Switchblade. And yes, I am armed. But it’s not for you.” He shifted on his feet a little uncomfortable at being outed so easily. He pulled out a cell phone and held it out for Niko to take. “Kate doesn’t have one. You can either give her your old one or give her this one. But it would make things easier if her brothers could call her directly.” He shot Niko a look as if testing him to not take the cell phone.

“I get a new cell phone?” She leaned out from behind Niko to get a good look at the device. It looked just like Niko’s phone and she was itching to get her hands on it.

“Sure. Here.” Niko handed the phone to her and watched as she shuffled the garment bags in her arms and immediately started going through all the menu options in the cell phone.

“It looks like everyone’s number is in here too. Bernie, Frankie, Mallorie, Niko, Packie. Roman, and… ULP?” She looked up from the phone as the elevator doors opened.

“That’s my direct line. You ever get into trouble you can call me. I answer that line day and night.” He stepped off into the fifth floor corridor and waited for them to follow him. He had pulled a burner phone out of his closet and activated a new sim card for it. He knew Kate was without one, and it would make things easier if people could get ahold of her directly.

“Thank you.” Kate exited the elevator and went back to seeing who all was programmed into the phone, moving the Clara Krow bag to her other hand.

“ _Tracking device too?”_ Niko guided her out into the hall and turned in the direction of Bernie’s apartment. He sighed watching as she got this excited look on her face as she discovered the camera and video recording options.

“ _Yes. It’s low jacked. I can show you the app to be able to locate it at any given moment. If you two get separated, at least we will have a general idea of where she’s at. Women hardly ever leave their phone unattended.”_ Bernard walked next to Niko and only shrugged. He knew if she were ever kidnapped the first thing they would do would be to get rid of her phone, but at least it would give them a starting point in looking for her.

“You two need to stop talking about me when I’m present. It’s off putting to say the least.” She glanced up from the phone to see both her boyfriend and his friend give her guilty looks. She turned back down to her phone and retyped Niko’s name to show ‘boyfriend <3’. 

“Sorry,” Niko moved up to the apartment door of Bernie’s unit and shook his head. He needed to remember she was picking up on things he did, and to not exclude her from conversations that were centered around her. “We are here.”

“I’ll wait down by the elevators for you. Nice to see you again Kate.” Bernard nodded to them both and headed back down to the elevators, leaving them for the time being.

“It was nice of him to give me a cell phone. Now I just need to take a bunch of pictures of us so I can lament the decision on what to use as my background.” She smiled brightly and bounced slightly at the idea of getting to take pictures with Niko. She had never had the typical first boyfriend milestones, and was almost vibrating in happiness at the idea of all the places they could go on dates, cute pictures she could take of them, the wedding, of Mallorie’s baby- the list kept building up in her mind! ‘ _Oh this is going to be so much fun!’_

“That means I can take video to have on my phone?” He stepped out of the way of her slap, grabbing her arm and twisting her around fully to face him, tucking her arm gently against her lower back and pistol, as he backed them into the wall, pressing her flush against the wallpaper covered hallway. The bags and phone dropped to the phone with a thud. She had gasped at the move and jerked against his hold, causing him to only tighten his grip on her.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide, and her hair had partially fell forward to cover one of her eyes. She dropped the garment bags and phone to the floor with his move, freeing her other hand that she had firmly placed against his chest. His words had incinerated her happy thoughts to ones of when she was attacked. The one man had tried to record her as he attempted to get her to give him oral. She never wanted to be recorded on a cell phone ever again. The thought of being intimate and being filmed caused her stomach to roll. She fought the bile that rose in her throat.

“No. _Please_. They took. They recorded me- I-” She breathed out. Her mind was trying to trap her in her memory of what happened, and she pleaded with Niko to get it to stop.

‘ _Hey now, don't you want to play? We just want to have some fun!’_ She had fought hard to get away from them and they had overpowered her so easily. The images kept replaying over and over and she felt like she was going to throw up. Her eyes clenched shut and she sucked in air trying to calm down.

The words clicked immediately. The video flashed across his mind and he let go of her arm, pulling her into a tight embrace, still up against the wall. How could he have said something so careless? He pulled her flush against him, tucking her face down to the crook of his neck, and started to stoke her back. He felt her tremble beneath his hands and he mentally slapped himself. He was only trying to make a joke. ‘ _Some joke that was…’_

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what I was saying. I. I would _never_ …” He took his own calming breath as he banished the images from his mind of seeing her squirm under the man’s hold. He would never put her in a situation that would make her uncomfortable, especially if it made her relive what took place in her bedroom.

“You didn’t know. It’s okay.” She buried herself in his hold, gripped his jacket with her hand that still rested on his chest. She felt like she was suffering from whiplash with how bad her emotions lashed back and forth inside her. The strap of his rifle was rough against her skin that wasn’t covered by her sweater. It caused a shiver to rack her body with how it reminded her of their rough hands. She moved away from his body and looked up into his eyes, her back hitting the wall behind her. She managed to pull herself from the memories and needed to see him before her. She balled her hand into a fist that was still behind her back against the wall trying to anchor her as another round of images tried to pry themselves to the forefront of her mind.

‘ _No I know… Should have been more careful…’_ “It’s not okay. I shouldn’t have been insensitive.” He placed his hands on her waist and carefully stroked up her sides gently. “I’m sorry.” He cupped her face and tucked her hair back behind her ears. He trailed his finger over her bruise willing it to disappear from her face. Wishing he had killed Dimitri quicker, left the dock sooner, and gone straight to her Ma’s place to prevent her from ever having to be touched by those men. His fingers drifted down to lightly brush over the fingermarks on her neck. The blood bruises were fading from where the man had sucked down on her skin too hard, but the newer, brighter one, caught his attention. He felt a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips. He had placed that one on her. It rested at the base of her neck at the junction of her collarbone. He leaned in a placed a featherlight kiss to it.

“ _Niko…”_ Kate breathed out his name. Her thoughts immediately quieting at his touch. The fog that always hung over her brain when he touched her started to billow in, swiftly overtaking the bad and replacing it with delicious, intoxicating, yearning _want._

The power he possessed over her was thrilling. He could cause her to melt and come undone with just the simple brush of his lips. He placed another kiss to the mark before kissing the side of her neck. He would shift her focus enough to bring her back to the present. He moved his kissing up her throat to her jaw, to her cheek, to the other cheek before resting his forehead to hers. He brushed his nose against hers, nudging her to open her eyes to look at him. He brushed his hands down her sides to rest on her hips, cradling them to his body.

They stared at one another. Kate had no idea how she went from standing next to him, to being cornered against the wall next to Bernie’s door, once more wrapped up in his arms. She swallowed thickly, glancing around her surroundings, “Niko?” She splayed her fingers out over his chest feeling the scratchy fabric of his sweater that rested below his jacket. His body was pressed against her frame and she fought the small amount of lust that wanted to tumble through her.

“I’m sorry. I’m on edge. You lashed out, I reacted.” He took a couple of steadying breaths as he searched her eyes. There was no fear, only confusion, and something else. He reached up and tucked a few loose strands of her hair back behind her ear, before going back to her hip bone. A small blush grew on her cheeks with his actions, and he smiled to her. “You with me now?”

“I shouldn’t have tried to hit you. But yes, I’m with you. Just… No video. If you want to relive what we do, you’re just going to have to have the real thing.” She arched her back to relieve the pressure against her arm the pistol was making, and to brush against him, hoping he got her meaning.

He closed the distance between them and kissed her, lowering his hand to cup her bottom, squeezing down on the plump flesh beneath the soft fabric of her leggings and sweater. Immediately she responded to him, pressing herself to him, fisting her hand into his sweater to pull him closer. She felt the moan build in her chest when he delved his tongue into her mouth.

She turned her hand to rest against the wall and used all her strength to shove off of it, pushing him off of her and causing him to take a step back from her. She wrapped her free arms around his neck and kissed him back with fever. She never imaged that her body would drive her this much, but the need was undeniable, and she craved him almost nonstop. And if he was what kept her mind from slipping into the darkness, then she would seek him out.

Niko broke the kiss and held her tightly to his body, “Okay. Okay. Later. Bernie is probably on the other side of the door listening.” He slid his hands down to her hips and tried to calm his racing heart down. His blood was thoroughly heated, and he wanted nothing more than to satisfy his want of her.

“I am not!” Bernie called from the other side of his apartment door, “But the show is rather good. Don’t stop on my account!” He was leaning against the door, pistol in hand, and was looking out the peephole. He smirked at the way Kate nearly jumped out of her skin.

“ _Open the door already then!”_ Niko called out and went to straightening out their clothing. He could see the utter embarrassment forming on Kate’s face, and he felt bad for getting her riled up. She moved out of his arms and started to pick up the discarded bags from the floor in the hallway. 

“You know my neighbors are extremely nosey.” Bernie flung the door opened and immediately felt himself falter. Kate stood up from picking up the garment bags and he caught sight of the bruise that graced her cheek. His eyes traveled down to her neck where what looked like finger imprints were displayed, as if someone had tried to choke the life from her. Then his eyes landed on what appeared to be a bite mark over the swell of her breast. Her skin was pale, dark circles were barely visible under her eyes, and he watched as tears sprang up to gloss over her green irises.

“Sweetheart. My goodness. Come here!” Bernie lowered the pistol and dropped it down on the small table that stood by the door. He stepped out into the hall and took the bags from her and tossed them to Niko, before pulling her into a tight hug. He looked over her head to Niko, feeling fire burn through his body, and silently asked the question that was on the tip of his tongue with his eyes.

“ _They are dead. They will never be able to touch her again.”_ Niko shifted the bags in his arms and moved past them into the apartment, dropping the bags over the back of a chair. He was hoping he wouldn’t have reacted that way, but what was done was done.

“ _Good. Poor thing.”_ Bernie guided her into the apartment, keeping his arms around her, “ _I didn’t know how bad. She didn’t have a single mark on her last night.”_ He smiled softly to her as she looked up to him. “Mallorie is in the bathroom. There is a two person tub with your name on it. Go take a long soak with her while I make sure the dress is ready to wear. Okay?” He gently brushed her hair from her face and tapped the tip of her nose.

“Thank you.” She moved out of Bernie’s arms and walked over to Niko. She pulled him into a hug and kissed him hard. “Волим те (Volim te)” She felt the tears as they slid down her cheeks. She was afraid of how Bernie would react, and it was proving difficult to keep her emotions in check. He had been nothing but concerned and worried, and not disgusted like she was figuring. Everything was teetering on the ledge inside her and one good shove one way or the other and everything was going to crash down on her. She needed to find a quiet moment to start to process everything properly. And she was continuously denied that space to breath and think through it all.

“Go see Mallorie. I’ll be here when you get out. Remember what I said. волим те лепото (volim te lepoto). No one else. Only you.” He kissed her forehead and caught her tears as they fell. “Please don’t cry. You’re tears break me.” He kept brushing them away, trying to soothe her.

“I’m sorry. I’m okay. Promise.” She closed her eyes and felt her insides squeeze at the memory of the first time he said that to her in the elevator of his apartment building after saving her life. She was transported to that time and place and relished in the feeling of being safe in his arms. He had been everything she needed- her knight in shining armor. She had been so broken, and now he was patiently putting the pieces back together for her. “I do love you Niko. Thank you.” She hugged him again and felt her mind settle slightly. ‘ _I am safe with you. You will keep me safe. I know you will. Thank you.’_

He leaned into her and placed a kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear, “I love you too. Now go have girly time.” He gave her a firm squeeze before letting her out of his arms. He wished they had more time to settle down and center her, but the sun continued its trek up into the sky, and time moved on.

“You boys play nice now.” She smiled for them both, sending Niko a small smirk, hoping he remembered her warning to them all at her Ma’s place before they had gone out to do who knows what. Even then she felt the way his eyes watched her move. He was so incredibly handsome and mysterious, and just the way he watched her caused her knees to weaken. She moved down the hall to where she heard Mallorie humming a song to herself.

“ _Love looks so good on you Niko. I am happy for you.”_ Bernie watched her walk out of the room before turning to his comrade. He hadn’t meant to cause her to cry, and he felt bad, but he was unprepared to see the marks on her. “ _She won’t hold it against me, will she?”_

“ _No. She was expecting you to think her ugly or come at me. Most people who see it immediately think I hit her. She was worried the first time we went out in public after it happened that people would think poorly of me. She doesn’t know how to be mean._ ” Niko kept his eyes trained on the hallway where she had disappeared.

“Ah. Well. I guess you ran into my neighbor?” He smirked when Niko turned his attention back to him.

“Neighbor?” He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow. “I didn’t see anyone come out of any apartment doors.”

“No. But you met him outside?” Bernie raised his hands to show he wasn’t joking and moved back to the front door, glancing out into the hall. “ _You can come in now!”_ He hollered down the hallway.

“ _Jesus H, I figured I was going to have to wait forever for the two lovebirds to quit going at each other.”_ Bernard chuckled as he entered into the apartment. “And yes. I live down the hall. How do you think I knew it wasn’t Florian you were after?” He smirked at the astonished look Niko was sporting.

“You could have told me you knew where he lived.” He scoffed and glanced down the hall to make sure they hadn’t disturbed the girls.

“And ruin the surprise? Nah. Roman will need to be picked up. I will ride with you to get him. Bernie will make sure the ladies make it to the church. Right?” He glanced to Bernie who was causally twirling a knife between his fingers as he leaned against the closed front door, pistol in his other hand.

“I will have them dressed, fed, and looking like a million bucks. And we will get there safely, and right on time. 0945. Francis is to meet me at the side entrance, where I will escort them to the waiting area so Roman can get down the aisle to the alter. Kate will walk down the aisle first before I get to walk Mallorie down. Niko you will be standing at Roman’s side as his best man. I know how these things work.” He stopped his movement of the knife to look at Niko, knowing he wasn’t going to like this plan.

“I’m not leaving her side. Not after all the attempts to kill us! _Are you mad? She is barely able to keep it together and you want me to leave her here when I told her I would be waiting for her?”_ Niko scowled at the two men not liking the plan one bit.

“ _Roman is hung over. And needs his cousin to see to his safety. You can get ready at their home. It will give us time to talk.”_ Bernard firmed his stance knowing this was going to be a fight. But he needed to get Niko alone to talk, and preferably without a weapon to kill him with.

“ _Niko please. This will give Kate a chance to surprise you. You will get to see her walk down the aisle all done up.”_ Bernie didn’t like sending Niko off, but the IAA agent had explained that things needed to be discussed, and he needed Niko alone to be able to talk about it.

“ _I don’t like this. How do I know that this place won’t be attacked the second I leave?”_ He looked between the two of them and started to pace back and forth. “ _That is why you gave her a cell phone isn’t it?”_

“Part of the reason yes. We don’t have much time to get over to Beachgate, get dressed, and get to the church. Go say goodbye, then we need to leave.” Bernard nodded toward the hall, hoping Niko wouldn’t put up much more of a fight. He had heard some of what was said when he walked away from Kate and Niko. He figured something had triggered her to almost have a panic attack. He stood just around the corner and listened intently to the two of them. His heart hurt for her, but he knew the sooner they killed their enemies, the sooner she would be able to heal and move on.

“ _Kate won’t hold it against you, but I will hold this against you.”_ Niko muttered to Bernie before taking off down the hall to let Kate know. The last thing he wanted to do was give her one more thing to worry about. She was balancing on a thin beam as it was, and he didn’t want to be the one to cause her to fall. He had just got her back to being excited about baths, getting dressed up, and seeing Mallorie, and now he was going to be the one to tear all that down by leaving her. He despised going back on his word. He prided himself on keeping his word. And he had given her his word.

He easily found the bathroom door in Bernie’s master bedroom. He could hear the two females laughing and giggling at something that was said. There were a few splashing sounds followed by a small shriek.

“Girl get that sexy ass in this tub so I can see what Niko gets every night!”

“No way! This is all Niko’s. Roman would be SOOOO jealous!” He could hear real laughter coming from her. It sounded like she was undressing and getting ready to get in the bath. He leaned against the door trying to make out the sounds better.

“Roman doesn’t even know how to be jealous. Well. Maybe. Okay I guess he does! Don’t give me that look!” There was a pause before he could hear Mallorie let out a long sigh, “The cuts do look better now, might not need as much airbrushing as last time.”

“Yes. They are fading and healing nicely. The bruises however are not.”

“Give it time. Niko doesn’t seem to mind. He was ALL over you last night. Sooooo?!”

“He is just…” She sighed dreamily, “He’s everything a girl could dream about.” They both started giggling like giddy schoolgirls.

Her words caused a smile to grace his lips. It was nice to know she spoke of him so highly when he wasn’t around to listen. Which meant he needed to let her know he was there. He didn’t need her thinking he was always going to be listening in to every conversation she had. She needed her space, just as he needed his from time to time. He knocked softly against the door causing the laughter to die on the other side.

“Yes? Everything okay Bernie? You walked in just fine earlier.” Mallorie called out, her voice somewhat muffled coming from the other side of the door.

“It’s Niko. I need to go get Roman; I was going to tell Kate bye.” He leaned his forehead against the door and let out a sigh. He did not want to leave her alone. Not after the conversation that took place out in the hall. The doorknob turned and the door cracked open a sliver.

“You are leaving?” Kate opened the door fully and leaned into the doorframe. She had piled her hair up in a bun on the top of her head and was wearing a white satin robe. It was barely tied together allowing the bitemark to be visible, along with most of her chest. Her legs were bare as the robe barely fell to the tops of her thighs.

His eyes traveled over her body and felt his desire stir to life inside him. “Is there a way you can keep this?” He tugged on one of the satin ties of the belt, wishing he could pull her over to the large bed in the room. His hand trailed over the wide collar of the robe, gently caressing her skin that teased his sight.

“Sorry but this is Mallorie’s. You are leaving?” She squinted her eyes at him and shifted her legs to press them together. She had seen the hungry look come and go from him and wished that he would simply slip his hands into the robe and touch her.

“I need to go get Roman. He had too much to drink last night. I’m sorry.” He kept lightly pulling on the bow of the belt, hoping it would fall open so he could see her naked flesh.

“Don’t be. It will make getting to see you that much more _exciting_.” She reached out and tugged on the opening of his jacket, pulling him closer to her. She placed a kiss to his cheek and whispered against the scruff, “I will be worth the wait.” She grabbed his hand that was playing with the satin belt and lifted it to the opening of the robe, letting him slide his hand inside to cup her breast.

“Don’t tease.” He rolled her nipple between his fingers, bringing his lips to hers, placing a sensual kiss to her.

“Not a tease, if it’s going to happen.” She lightly moaned the words against his lips before breaking away from him, “One second.” She moved into the bathroom turning her back to him, shivering with the lost contact of his hands.

He felt his heart squeeze as he read the name on the back of the robe she wore. ‘Mrs. Bellic’ was written in cursive, embellished with rhinestones, across her shoulder blades. He knew it was Mallorie’s, but he was wishing it was Kate’s. Just the simple phrase struck him to his core. He never once imagined he would get married and settle down. Too many people wanted him dead. But now? Now that his enemy list was nearing zero? He wanted nothing more than to wake up every day to Kate’s smile. To have her be his in every possible way. Maybe Roman was right. Maybe he would be looking at wedding rings soon.

He watched as she walked over to the bathroom counter and picked up his pistol. She turned to smile for Mallorie who was neck deep in soapy water in the large marble tub. She flicked a few bubbles toward Kate before dropping her hand back into the water. “You tell Niko to make him shave. He needs to look his best.”

“Of course. And that he shower?” She teased before moving back over to the door. Her smile softened when she met his gaze. “He will be the best dressed man, ready to marry the love of his life.” She had said the words to Mallorie but couldn’t take her eyes off of Niko.

“I’ll be sure he is at the alter Mallorie. On time. Dressed perfect. Don’t worry. Just take care of my date.” He called out to her, not wishing to walk in and accidentally see his cousin’s fiancé naked.

“Between me and Bernie, you won’t recognize her!” She looked over her shoulder and smiled for him before turning back to get comfortable in the water.

“It doesn’t matter how much makeup or what she wears, she will always be Лепа ( _Lepa)_ to me.” He gave her the smile he saved for her. He meant what he said. She could be in her normal sweater and jeans, the done up dress, or the satin robe, and she would be just as beautiful to him.

“Oh you!” Kate rushed over to the door to pull him into a passionate kiss. She didn’t care that the strap of his rifle rubbed her bitemark raw, only that she expressed what his words meant to her. “Thank you, Niko.” She whispered the words between kisses.

He slowed their kissing and placed his forehead to hers, “Have fun getting ready _моја љубав (moja ljubav)_. I’ll be waiting to see you at the church.“ He held her close in his arms and kissed her cheek before nuzzling into her neck. “Stay safe. Please.“ He leaned back to look into her eyes. “Stay with Bernie. Do not let him leave you and Mallorie alone. Unless you have someone else armed you can trust with you. Promise me.“ He turned serious as he searched her eyes.

“I promise.“ Kate whispered the words to him. She felt some of her fear return, but she squashed it down. She would be safe and with capable people all day today. “Here. Take this with you. I will feel better if you have it.” She held out the pistol to him. He was going to be out in the open and she would feel better if he were armed to the best of his ability.

“Okay. Also remember to have fun?” He smiled for her and took the pistol from her hand, deftly turning it to put in in its usual place.

“I will. You _might_ get a photo later.” She winked, teasing him, before kissing his lips once more and moving back into the bathroom. She shot him a cheeky smile before stepping into the large tub and removing the robe. She tossed it to the marble counter and sank down into the soapy water. “Better get going Niko. Wouldn’t want to keep your cousin waiting.” She removed the hair tie from her hair and let the curls fall down around her face.

He contemplated simply walking in and lifting her from the tub and carrying her into the bedroom before he realized they weren’t alone and not at his place. He could only shake his head at her teasing and closed the door. Quietly he walked back into the hall and down to where he could hear Bernie and Bernard talking in Serbian.

“ _So this is like the old vests, just thinner?”_ Bernie’s voice reached his ears first before he rounded the corner to the living room.

“ _Yes. They will stop most bullets, but high caliber might still break through. It won’t tear through you as the vest will stop most of the velocity, but it will still puncture skin.”_ Bernard looked up as Niko entered the room and tried to hide the smirk from his face.

_“They are too heavy for the females to wear. Plus I don’t think Mal will want to wear this on her wedding day.”_ Bernie lifted up one of the bullet proof vests and put it on. _“Definitely lighter than the standard issued ones.”_ He looked over to Niko and grew concerned pointing to him. “Niko. You’re bleeding!”

“What?” He looked down to his sweater and jacket for what Bernie was pointing at. He placed his hand over his chest and felt the warm liquid. He pulled his hand back and saw a small amount of blood. “It’s not mine…” He removed his rifle and inspected the strap where most of the blood was at. “Kate must have reopened her wound.” He looked back down the hall and weighed his options. He could march back in there to check on her or let her be.

“I will go check her out. You two need to get going.” Bernie removed the vest from his chest and placed it down on the couch. “ _I will be her shield, my friend.”_ He sadly smiled to Niko before heading off down the hall toward his bedroom.

“Florian! Wait!” Niko moved after him and placed his hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face him. “ _I’m sorry. I. I know you mean well. I am trusting you with the most important part of my life. Keep her safe. Keep her alive. Be there for her. Promise me.”_ He held his shoulder firmly trying to make sure he got the point.

“ _I took the oath, just as you have. I will do all that you have asked. Just don’t doubt me in the future. I will never endanger her.”_ He felt hurt over how easily Niko turned on him. It was not his idea to have him get Roman. Bernard had told him the plan and what needed to be said in private. He was just going along with it.

“ _I know that. I am sorry.”_ Niko tried to apologize. He hadn’t meant to hurt his friend’s feelings. He was slowly relying on his old friendship with him to get him through the next couple of days. “ _I am just on edge today. I know something bad is going to happen. And it’s like I am powerless to stop it.”_ He sighed and removed his hand from Bernie’s shoulder.

“ _Not powerless. We are all doing what we must to keep the bad from happening. I got Kate. You get Roman. And do cheer up.”_ He tried to smile for Niko. But even he could feel the electricity in the air for the approaching storm.

“Okay… Florian.”

“BERNIE!”

aaaaaa 

“So this Natalya chick, who is also named Rebecca, is- was dating Lenny Petrovic? Kenny’s son?” Gerry slouched back on the couch trying to piece it all together and help fill in the blanks on what he knew was going on in the background. They had spent the last half hour going over what he knew, what she knew, and what got them to this point in time.

“Yes. That is correct.” Karen ran the blade of her knife against a sharpening rock. She had given him the file and notes on what she found so far. She let him lead the questioning, figuring it would be easier to interject things, then take over the entire conversation. This also allowed her to see where his mind drifted and what he deemed important or not.

“Man. You don’t fuck with Kenny. I’ve met him once and would prefer to never see the man again. Dude has power.” He glanced over to Karen who seemed unfazed by his comments. ‘ _You never go against them. Ever.’_

“It has been made clear to everyone who operates in LC that we leave the Petrovic family alone. Except Natalya isn’t Petrovic. She’s a Rascalov. She is Dimitri’s cousin.” She ran the rock over the knife again and inspected the edge of the blade. She glanced over to Gerry who looked lost in his own thoughts. ‘ _If he wasn’t a McReary I’d be all over him…’_

“Niko killed Lenny and Dimitri. And we know for a fact that she is gunning for Niko now? What was her affiliation in the crime world? I’ve never heard either of her names before. And usually high ranking members are at least spoken of, so we know who to not go after.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes trying to remember if he had ever heard of a female making waves in the Russian mafia world.

“There is little to no evidence she was heavily involved. We know she did side work for Dimitri and Mikhail Faustin. But other than that, her work, if any, for Kenny is unknown. You are my best bet at getting any info from the underground world.” She tucked her knife back into its holster satisfied for the moment that it was sharp. He had taken the conversation in a direction she was very interested in. She only knew some of the inner workings of the underground having read files and reports on crime that took place in Hove Beach and Broker.

“Well. I never knew her name. Just that Kenny was planning an engagement party for when his son got engaged. We were all notified that Lenny was going to be taking over one day but wouldn’t for some years. Kenny is untouchable. Lots of attempts have been made. I heard rumors that Faustin was going to make a move against Petrovic. But honestly why would he? It’s suicide. Now I know it was Niko who killed Lenny, and then eventually Mikhail. We don’t normally work with the Russians. Lost some of Broker to them.” He let out a long sigh. “We stuck to what we know. We worked with Jimmy for a while. Running stuff and doing the grunt work. Pay was alright.”

“Jimmy was found dead yesterday morning. House burned to the ground.” She let the words out easily, it was just a fact of the case that was being built.

“Woah. Okay this chick is clearly cutting off lose ends. Jimmy wasn’t reliable and most other mobs hated him. So if she is going to finish off Dimitri’s work- that would leave the Pegorino family, Bulgarin, Faustin, and Niko. And since the McReary’s are tied to Pegorino and Niko, makes sense she would come after us.”

“Bulgarin was killed last night in a plane explosion. Unrelated we think to Natalya. He had enemies all over the place including Petrovic.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and sank down into the couch cushion. She let her eyes travel over his body and watched how he shifted around. ‘ _He’s easier to read than I thought. His body language gives him away.’_

“Fucking hell. That list keeps getting smaller. The only people left alive are Niko and my family. And you believe this is revenge and not some kind of loyal fight to the end?”

“If someone killed the love of my life and my family, I would do everything to make them suffer. She is definitely hell bent on hurting Niko. I don’t even think she wants to kill him. The poison sent to him would have been half the dose that Packie took. If they only had two glasses each, it would only disorient them, incapacitate them, make them sick.” She mused before reaching out to the coffee table to grab the tablet from its surface. She scrolled through a couple of pages before finding the case file for the attempted murder of Packie. “Which means they would have been easy to overpower and capture.”

“So what would have been the plan?” Gerry leaned over to see what she was reading over. Things were starting to make some sense to him. The more and more he listened and retained the new information, the more he just wanted to go out a kill the broad.

“If they were sick. Niko wouldn’t have been able to fight off a wave of people. She worked the lobby of their apartment. She would have been able to get the men inside the building, up to their unit, and capture them. And well…” She chewed her lip not really wanting to share the information she got from her boss.

“Well?” Her pause caused him to get curious. She had been rather factual up to this point, and now she was hedging on certain topics? ‘ _No there is something there…’_

“Originally they were going to rape your sister in front of Niko. That was going to happen Thursday night. But Niko didn’t get caught in the set up trap and managed to kill everyone. Then on his way home I helped guide him to your Ma’s house to save her. We were getting our info too late. I’m sorry we couldn’t save your mom. We found out as things were happening. So if the plan was to break Niko by hurting your sister, and eventually killing her for the slight against Natalya, then I can only guess that plan was going to happen after the poison weakened them.” She looked away from Gerry not wishing to see his reaction to the news. She liked to think she could handle the grim details of every type of crime, but this one still made her queasy.

“That still doesn’t explain them coming after me.” He was quiet. Gerry was mad at Niko but couldn’t find it in himself to blame him for what happened. He had been too careless and got caught in his fucked up affairs. He was sitting in prison instead of keeping watch over his family and mafia. He could have had the guys set up a guard around the house. But deep down he knew she would always be a target. He had seen some of the looks Niko sent her way while at their Ma’s. It was only a matter of time before the two of them hit it off.

“I guess once her attempts kept getting thwarted, she just wanted someone to die. That’s my guess.” She could only shrug. It was the best she had. She had no idea why they went after Gerry but was glad she had gotten there first.

“And the wedding?” He gestured to the tablet in her hands to be able to read over the report again. She handed it over to him easily. Something was nagging him. Like an idea was just out of his reach.

“Roman is Niko’s cousin. What better way to get her revenge then by killing Niko’s cousin while he is getting married? Just as he had killed hers. An eye for an eye. You know?” She took the time to study Gerry as he seemed to process all the information. He was reading over the report she had found on the attempted assassination of Packie. Who wasn’t even the indented target at the apartment.

He read the report over quickly, not liking the sloppy work of the officer who had taken the statements. One word answers, simple sentences, nothing of importance was jotted down. The pictures of the evidence were good. He recognized Francis’ handwriting on the card, but once he read the inscription, he knew it wasn’t Francis that sent the note. He lowered the tablet to his lap trying to figure out where she would have gotten the idea to poison someone. Or how Packie had ended up being the person who took the hit. His eyes landed on a cardboard box.

“May I?” He pointed to a box of files that rested on the floor by the coffee table.

“Sure.” She shrugged and watched as he got up to sit on the floor by the box and started pulling different files from it.

“Niko is the main connection between all of this.” He removed everything from the coffee table and placed a picture of Niko from a file down on the center of the table. “Katie is the love interest.” He placed a photo he found of his sister down on the table next to Niko’s. “And Roman is the cousin.” He placed Roman’s photo down on the other side of Niko’s. “Now if she is going in order of who was killed in her life, it would be Katie first, then Roman.” He pointed to each of the photos.

“But her attempts for Kate have failed. Four times now. Once at your Ma’s house. Then with the poison. At Jerkov’s using Jason, and then again at the hospital. She’s either given up on the direct approach and moved on to other targets to lure her out in the open, or she’s switching her focus to Roman.” She picked up a couple of other file folders that were left on the floor at her feet and placed the McReary brother’s photos down on the table below Kate’s photo, and then dropped Mallorie’s photo down under Roman’s.

“Killing me would get Kate to let her guard down. As well as Packie and Frankie. If she doesn’t strike the wedding, she will strike Ma’s funeral.” Gerry glanced over all the photos and noticed one was missing. He went through several files before finding an interesting photo of who he was looking for. “There is one person missing from this list.”

“Who?” She looked at Gerry as he placed a photo of herself and Niko down on the table.

“You dated him when Lenny was killed. Would she not lock her sights toward you?”

“She might have. But we went our separate ways shortly after his death. I was pulled from the field for a month before getting back on my original assignment. During that time Niko met Kate. They didn’t start dating, or not dating, or whatever they called their hanging out, till right before or after the bank job. I didn’t notice them going places till after the Bank of Liberty was robbed. But nothing looked serious till after Derrick’s funeral.” Karen nodded her head as she tried to place the timeline of events right in her mind.

“Bank job?” Gerry’s voice carried a slightly guilty tone to it.

“Oh please. Derrick was a damn give away. And I don’t know about you, but Niko’s style of shooting and fighting isn’t hard to miss. I know it was your brothers and Niko. The man found dead at the scene is a known associate of the Irish Mob. Michael. The feds have been itching to put you away for years. FIB’s files have magically gone missing on you lately. So no evidence, no crime.” She stared at the photo of her and Niko. She took the photo as proof that she had a mark for the coke case. Her boss was needing proof that she was making progress. They were out at the local diner having lunch when she asked to take a photo together.

‘ _He looks so happy… So unprepared for my betrayal…’_ She felt the burning behind her eyes as tears wanted to form. A sigh broke from her suddenly dried lips and she licked at them.

“Hey. You okay?” Gerry was on the floor in between the couch and coffee table. He had heard the sadness in her sigh and turned to place a hand on her knee. Things were starting to add up for him, and he could almost tell how badly she missed Niko. He was only trying to help tie up every lose end to the story; not trying to hurt her feelings.

“What? Yeah I’m fine.” She rubbed at her eyes hoping to remove any evidence of tears. She needed to stay focused and on the case. She would have time to dwell in self-pity later. “Just a little tired is all.” 

“Look. I’m no expert, and I hardly know you, but you are definitely connected to this whole thing. You were with Niko when Lenny died. If this bitch is as crazy as she seems, then you are in just as much danger as the rest of us. You think she ever spotted you two out in public?” He gave her knee a gentle squeeze hoping to get her thoughts back on track.

“It’s possible. I tried to keep our hangout spots to a minimum. Targeted in Hove Beach, Broker, and Firefly Island. And I had backup follow me around for the most part. I had no idea who Niko was, and until my superiors filled me in, I wasn’t taking the chance that he wasn’t going to kill me. He was always so short with his words and did more observing than being in the moment. But once I got him comfortable, he started to let his guard down. Never once gave up his cousin or friends when shit hit the ceiling.” She huffed at his protective ways. She had put in more work to find out about Elizabeta than Niko had. Mallorie had been rather talkative, but never on the right subjects.

“Well I think it’s safe to say that she either noticed your tail, or pegged you for a cop. The only reason someone of her level of crazy doesn’t just strike right off the bat is because of the consequences.” Gerry closed all the open files and stacked them up in the box. ‘ _No one willing kills a cop without a backup plan.’_

“Or her cousin reined her in. Told her to hold off. Dimitri did sell Niko off to Bulgarin right after he killed Faustin.” She murmured as she looked back to the photo of the two of them.

“Explains why toward the end of Dimitri’s life their plan to kill two people at once would have happened. Dimitri probably gave her something to focus on and plan. And to keep her out of the way and limelight. Lenny’s funeral was a major ordeal. I of course didn’t attend. Other _business_ took the front seat.” Gerry moved off the floor and climbed back onto the couch next to her. It made sense to him. ‘ _Dimitri probably got her tucked away at some safehouse and kept her away from the public._ ’

“ _Ground team four to Overlook. Do you copy?_ ” A voice crackled over the speaker they had set up for the ground teams to speak over. Karen jumped at the sudden noise, not expecting another voice to cut through the silence she and Gerry had fallen in to.

Quickly Karen picked up the headset from the couch cushion and placed it on her ear, clicking on the talk button, “This is Overlook. Go ahead.” She met Gerry’s gaze and smiled for him. They would figure it all out, capture or kill Natalya, and move on to better times.

“ _There is a small problem here. Requesting backup.”_

aaaaaa

“You need to be more careful with this injury. You are lucky it isn’t deep.” Bernie stood next to the marble counter that Kate was sitting on. He held a thick pad of gauze over her bite mark, keeping pressure on it to stop the flow of blood. He had let her soak in the bath and relax for as long as he could stand it. They had all gossiped and talked about everything under the sun, but finally his need to see her wound tended to won out.

“Bernie you worry too much. She was just fine. It clearly wasn’t bothering her. I didn’t even notice it was bleeding!” Mallorie had tied her robe around her body and was running a comb through her wet hair. She turned away from the mirror to smile at Kate who looked like she was starting to worry.

“It rarely bothers me. Sometimes it burns, but for the most part I forget it’s there.” Kate murmured. The attention he was paying her injury made her feel uncomfortable. The only other person to have touched the area around the bitemark was Niko, and the nurse at the hospital, and having someone else close to her while she was practically naked felt odd. She tightened her fits in the towel she had wrapped around her body when she got out of the bath.

“Well it will start to bother you more if it gets infected or scars over. Honestly! I feel like I’ve become a doctor to every damsel in distress in this city this morning!” He huffed and pulled the gauze away. He grimaced at the sight of the torn skin. “ _Niko should have done more than just killed them. I would give anything to rip their skin from their bones!”_ Carefully he applied some cream to the angry red skin, hoping to help die down the burning sensation for her.

“You can get away with your jedi mind-trick talk when Niko is around, but not with us. Now tell us what you said. Or Kate here is going to think you said something bad about her skin.” Mallorie moved over to see what had him so worked up. She had helped put the bandage on last night before they got dressed for dinner and didn’t have that reaction.

“Sorry. I lose my temper and it just comes out. I only wished I could have helped kill the men who did this to you.” He spoke softly, meeting Kate’s gaze, before continuing to work on cleaning and rebandaging the bitemark. He was having a hard time keeping his mood swings under control. So much was piling up at once and it was causing him trouble. The oath, the shoot out at the hospital, having to patch up Karen, now Kate- it was too much. He worked so hard to move on and live the life he wanted and now he was right back in the middle of the action. He was getting attached to Niko’s band of friends and he worried about them all.

“Thank you. But they are long gone. Probably laying in the city morgue waiting for their turn to be cremated. I doubt anyone would claim their bodies.” Kate wiped at her eye as a lone tear forced its way free from her eyelashes. She winced when he dapped an alcohol wipe over the open spots.

“Fuck them. They can go rot in hell. I will never understand the utter evil that walks around on this earth.” Mallorie squeezed Kate’s hand in silent support before moving over to sit on the edge of the tub. For some reason the sight of the slightly bleeding bitemark was making her feel sick, and the stench of antiseptic caused bile to rise in her throat.

“I understand the evil. Why we act on it. War gives you perspective- boundless insight to how people think. How the powers that be can easily order those deemed under them around for a goal that isn’t obtainable. To give the order to kill while they sit in their palaces and fortresses away from battle. Somehow, they convince impressionable young men to murder their own brethren in the most gruesome of ways. There is evil out there. And I chose to no longer let it consume me or give me orders.” His eyes glazed over as images of the war flashed across his eyes. They had all committed atrocities while fighting for the cause.

“Bernie? Are you okay?” She had seen the look flick across Niko’s eyes once or twice when the war was brought up. Kate placed her hand over his that held the alcohol wipe to her chest. Her touch seemed to knock him out of his thoughts.

“Forgive me.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts, “I get lost sometimes.”

“It’s alright. If you ever need to talk about things, we are both here for you.” Mallorie spoke from her perch on the edge of the tub. She had spent more time around Bernie than Kate had, and knew he had the tendency to space out when the topic of war was brought up.

“Speaking of talking. When do you plan to tell Roman?” Bernie switched the subject quickly. He was not ready to open that box in his closet. He went back to cleaning Kate’s wound and started to bandage it up. He had seen her dress and knew he would need to have a thinner piece of gauze over it as to not have it show beneath the dress.

“I still don’t know for sure.” She looked over to the box on top of the counter that held the pregnancy test.

“Only one way to know for sure.” Kate smiled to her friend and encouraged her to go take the test.

“Might as well go take it before I start on your makeup. Wouldn’t want you to start crying after you’re all done up.” Bernie placed the new gauze pad over the wound and started to tape the sides to hold it in place. He patted Kate’s knees and moved out of the way to let her hop down off the counter. He helped her find her footing when her legs wobbled slightly under her.

“Yeah okay. You two go sit in the bedroom. I’ll take care of business real quick.” Mallorie walked over to the counter and lifted the box to start to read the instructions.

“Call out if you need us.” Kate ushered Bernie out into the bedroom, picking up her sweater on her way out into the bedroom. She pulled the bulky sweater over her head and let the towel drop out from under it once she was satisfied she wasn’t going to inadvertently flash Niko’s friend. She tossed the towel back into the bathroom and pulled the door closed. The bath had done wonders to loosen all her tight and aching muscles, and she was looking forward to having someone run their fingers through her hair as they styled it however they saw fit.

“You think she will be alright when it comes out positive?” Bernie sat on the edge of his king sized bed. He was worried about her reaction to the news.

“She should be. I think she’s known for a little bit now. I’m more worried about Roman.” Kate paced back and forth in front of him trying to settle her anxiety over hearing Mallorie either confirm or deny she was pregnant. A baby would put her in more danger, and Roman would be freaked out over both of their safety. And Roman gave her the impression that he doesn’t handle stress well.

“Oh please. Roman will be fine. So long as he doesn’t anger Mal when she tells him, he will live.” Bernie smirked as he thought about the feisty Puerto Rican smacking Roman around the room when he took the news wrong over her being pregnant.

“You are taking this rather well. I’m a nervous wreck for her. She’s getting married. Which should be the most important, happiest day of her life, and she’s having to find out if she’s pregnant or not. And God! What if she comes out here and tells us she is? There are people out there that want us all dead!” Kate placed her hand over her mouth as the weight of her statement slammed through her soul. She stopped her pacing and lifted frightened eyes to Bernie.

“Like Niko, I am very capable of defending you, Mallorie, and her unborn child. I may not look and act like some crazed killer, but I killed two men last night to save Niko’s life. I used to work in an abattoir. A slaughterhouse. Bodies are just pieces of meat. I know how to dispose of a body effectively. Your doubt in me _will_ hurt my feelings.” Bernie dropped his voice and felt anger rush through him. He was tired of people thinking he was useless or not to be taken seriously. The only reason he didn’t kill the stalkers after him, was because of Bryce. It would have gotten back to him eventually. Niko was already walking on the path of killing people. He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to take a life again. But watching as someone put a gun to the back of Niko’s head, something inside him came to life. It was like standing back in his homeland watching his friends be murdered. He would not let another one fall!

“I won’t doubt you. Niko put his faith in you to see me safe. He told me to not leave your side. For him to be so serious and firm in his request, I know you will keep us safe.” She spoke softly. He had sent a spear of fear through her body with his tone of voice. He looked murderous in the dim lighting of the bedroom. His eyes took on a sinister glint, and for a split second she didn’t think she was looking at Bernie at all.

“Good.” He felt that was enough to acknowledge her statement. He could see the slight tremble of her legs and sighed. “Come sit down before you hurt yourself. I am not mad at you. Knowing for sure if Mallorie is pregnant only ups my awareness. I will need to be more cautious on our way to the church. I won’t let anyone get you two. Or _three_.” He gently smiled for her and shoved away his anger and quieted the side of him he labeled Florian. He patted the bed next to him hoping she would sit down.

Hesitantly Kate walked over and sat down on the bed. She had seen someone else take over his body, she was sure of it. He looked like a carbon copy of Niko as he slaughtered the men at Derrick’s funeral. She swallowed her fear down and steeled her arms and legs to keep from shaking. “I am sorry. Forgive me for misjudging you.” She offered a small apology to him, hoping to correct the wrong she had done him.

“No need to apologize. I didn’t mean to scare you. I guess the stress of the day is starting to get to me.” He turned to look at her in the dim light of his bedroom, “Shall I start on your hair while we wait for Mal? You want it up or down today?” He would get her back to happier thoughts, and away from the darkness that hung above them all.

“I think up. Niko gave me these beautiful earrings. I’d like to display them today.” She was grateful for the change of subjects. He had completely shaken her to her core with his demeanor and eyes. It was confusing at times at how well he hid his inner turmoil, and she would forget that he was in the same war that haunted Niko. It was as if two people lived inside his body.

They both turned to look at the bathroom door as it creaked open. Mallorie walked into the room holding the pregnancy stick in her hand. Her eyes were far off and lost. She took a couple of steps into the room and froze. She sucked in a breath and lifted the stick up reading the results again.

“Mal? You going to share with us?” Bernie stood up from the bed and walked over to her to get a look at the pregnancy results.

“You okay? You look pale.” Kate followed after Bernie and placed her hand to her friend’s back.

“Guys. I think I’m in shock. I can’t move.” A single tear tumbled down her cheek and she sought out Kate’s eyes. “I mean I can. But I feel like I weigh a million pounds. My heart is going _nuts_!” She stumbled slightly causing both Kate and Bernie to steady her.

“Calm down. Let’s sit you down.” Bernie, with Kate’s help, moved Mallorie over to the bed and lowered her to the edge to sit down. They could feel the way she shook and gave each other worried glances.

“Roman… Roman… _Roman’s going to be a dad!”_ Mallorie croaked out before flopping back on the bed, passing out from shock.

aaaaaa

“Is Gerry actually dead?” Niko asked the question once they settled in the SUV of Bernard’s and were well on their way to Roman’s house in Beachgate. He had kept his death glare going the entire time it took them to get from the apartment to the vehicle. He was feeling dangerous being away from Kate and was almost ready to slap Roman once he got to his house. ‘ _I knew he was going to drink too much. The idiot!’_

“Did Francis ask you to kill Derrick and Derrick asked you to kill Francis instead?” Bernard scoffed and didn’t bother to look over at Niko. He was almost completely positive that Niko had been the shooter. He had kept his end of their arrangement up and listened in to any chatter regarding the shooting. Bernard had Niko do his dirty work and in return he would keep the heat off of him. Once Darko was brought in, they went their separate ways. ‘ _Maybe if I had kept a closer eye on things a little longer this whole situation could have been avoided and Kate wouldn’t be hurt, and her Ma would be alive…’_

“Understood.” Niko shifted uncomfortably in his seat, moving his rifle into a better position. He figured Bernard would know about it. He seemed to know just about everything else that went on in his life since coming to Liberty. He turned toward his passenger side window and surveyed the cars on the road. He didn’t want to believe Gerry was gone. And he was regretting not talking to Francis. He had sent so many text messages, and he had ignored them all. If they were going to be building a friendship of sorts, he would need to reach out soon.

“Why do you ask?” Bernard drove the SUV down toward the Triangle, weaving in and out of the morning rush of vehicles. He had a fairly long drive to get over to Beachgate, but it would give him time to talk things out with Niko. And it looked like Niko wanted to start with Gerry’s death.

“You seem so calm about another death.” Niko glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before going back to study the vehicles around them. He doubted they would run into their enemies, but one could never be too cautious. He felt exposed in the government vehicle. He had seen the sniper rifle in the back seat, one of the seats was covered in blood and smelled wet. His suit garment bag was resting in the other back seat.

“Death comes with the job. People die every day.” Bernard turned off toward the Broker Bridge. It would be the quickest way to get to South Bohan and Firefly Island.

“Not while under your care. I told you to move him to a safe location. That was my only favor I asked of you at dinner.” Niko was getting more and more agitated. He had asked him pointedly at Jerkov’s to watch over Gerry. To do more than keep surveillance going. “And why is the back seat covered in blood?” He looked over his shoulder again at the chair as if it would answer his question.

“I sent Karen to the prison to get him out. We had a plan to switch his body with Jason’s. It was going great until those thugs showed up. She tore open her stitches getting away. I met her on a boat to rescue her. She jumped in the river and almost drowned.” His eyes glazed over as he remembered watching in horror as Gerry jumped the smoking motorcycle into the river, both people disappearing under the surface of the frigid water. He had rushed through sniping the enemies on the shoreline in order to help pull the two of them from the river.

Niko shifted slightly with the news, trying to hide his uneasy feelings about their conversation, “Is she okay?” He didn’t really want to ask; didn’t want anything to do with Karen anymore, but something told him he needed to know. She had been helpful at the hospital. Had started CPR on Packie to bring him back from the brink of death. And while he still felt anger and resentment toward the IAA agent, he couldn’t shake the feeling of protectiveness that clawed away at him when he knew she was in danger. Seeing her stumble back into the stairwell after being shot at was tough to witness.

“She will be with proper rest. I have her doing background digging on Rebecca.” He chose his words carefully, hoping to keep Niko calm with the knowledge he had. He would feel him out before letting anything out in the open.

“Anything worth noting?” Niko moved his rifle on his lap to get a better grip on it. He was curious to know what he had found out about her. If she was connected to Dimitri or just some hired spy. If he kept Bernard talking it would keep him preoccupied from the darker thoughts that hung around in his mind. 

“Yes and no. But I need your word you aren’t going to kill me when I tell you.” He slowed down at a red light and turned to look at Niko fully. He knew when to keep things to himself and when to share information. He was already sweating having to keep Gerry’s status a mystery to him, but he figured he could shed some light on Rebecca to him. If only to get him off asking about Gerry.

“Depends. How long have you known?” He felt a chill descend over him. Their relationship had gone from mutual hatred and semi-respect, to an understanding that would turn into friendship so long as they were honest with one another. He hated to admit it, but he relied on Bernard to cover for him. He was trying to start a new life, to stop the killing, and to truly embark on the American dream. And his ticket to achieving all this was with Bernard’s help.

“It took a long time to get any decent information on her. FIB was of no help as usual. We didn’t have much to go on, and the only ones with information was Interpol. She isn’t who she appears Niko.” He pulled forward once the light turned green, thankful for the light distraction.

“As I have figured. Her talking in Russian, and hiding her accent from me for so long, kind of tipped me off that she isn’t who she says she is.” He started to tap out a rhythm on his rifle needing to move in order to keep from going off the deep end.

Bernard let out a quiet sigh, “Niko. She isn’t Rebecca. She’s Natalya Vera…” He swallowed and took a chance to look at Niko, “Rascalov.”

Everything that had been held together since pulling Kate from her bed after killing the men who attacked her, shattered. He felt his hands start to tremble as the weight of her name tumbled down upon him. A cold sweat broke out over his body, and his stomach pitched in the most unsettling way. ‘ _It can’t be…’_ His mind couldn’t comprehend who she was, and it was slowly driving him mad.

“Niko?” Bernard tried to give him a minute to process it, but he was starting to worry. He was getting closer to the bridge and they had descended into an eerie silence.

“She is- Who exactly to Dimitri?” The last name could be anything in relation to Dimitri- sister, wife, cousin, niece, someone of no relation but with the same last name. The endless possibilities were making him dizzy.

“She is his cousin. The one who was dating Lenny Petrovic.”

“ _Fuck_!” Niko punched the siding of the door, needing to lash out. He knew killing Lenny on a crazy whim from Mikhail was the worst idea. Dimitri and Mikhail had gone back and forth about who the rat was, or if there was one, and Dimitri had pleaded with Mikhail about his cousin dating him and it not being Lenny. But at the time Niko was in debt to Mikhail for killing Vlad. He was trying to prove his loyalty and keep Roman from getting killed for owing money to just about every loan shark in Hove. “How bad?”

“It’s about as bad as we can guess. You killed her lover and her cousin. Why do you think the attacks have been centered on Kate? She’s on a full blown revenge killing spree. No one is above her reach.” Bernard merged onto the bridge and picked up speed. He had noticed a car that had been passing others but wouldn’t get close enough for him to see a license plate or face. They would speed up and cut off a few cars behind him and maintain the distance, only to move up when Bernard pulled away.

“Well shit. She knows too much. Roman spilled to her the details about the wedding last night before we left for dinner. She knows Kate survived since I introduced her to her the morning after the attack. She had been flirty, talkative, and on me since I moved into the building. Explains why her attitude changed completely after seeing Kate. The plan had failed. She even put on a decent front about the killings on the Platypus.” His fingers were numb from clutching on the rifle so tightly, his blood was simmering in his veins, and he bit out the words to Bernard. He had been too careless about Rebecca/ Natalya. 

“We had secured the ship after you left. Rather nasty work on Dimitri by the way. One of my agents said a blonde female was asking about her cousin who was scheduled to depart the ship once it docked. And since it was a crime scene, there was no info to give her. They sent her away with a business card to call back once the crime scene was cleared. I pulled our reports from cleaning up the bodies from the Platypus to see if anything stood out. She never gave a name but asked only once about her cousin. She never called back.” Bernard watched as the car took the exit behind them before the bridge. ‘ _I’m too paranoid for my own good sometimes…’_

“So she is hell bent on killing Kate and Roman. Does not explain Ma, Gerry, or Packie. Unless they are simply in the way?” Niko let out a long suffering sigh dropping his head back on the headrest. Things were adding up for him, and it was not a pleasant picture that was being put together in his mind. He never should had let Mikhail give him orders like that, and he should have been more aware of Dimitri’s shifty ways. He had been sold out so easily to Bulgarin, and he would need to thank Jacob again for being there as backup.

“What better way to hurt Kate then by killing her entire family…” He glanced in the rearview mirror as a flash of a motorcycle caught his attention. He moved his hands into a more alert position on the steering wheel. 

“What’s left of it anyway.” Niko grumbled and turned away from Bernard with his thoughts. He had killed Derrick. The men who attacked Kate killed her Ma. And now Natalya had killed Gerry. She had almost killed Packie with the attempt on their lives. How much more did Kate have to suffer before it broke her? Would he still be able to hold her together when the final piece broke?

“You see the motorcycle? My five o’clock.” He had seen the motorcycle drift between a few cars, merging into the lane he was in. It was too much of a coincidence and there was no such thing as coincidences in his book. ‘ _The car was probably a scout…’_

Niko checked his sideview mirror and saw a helmet duck back behind the truck that was behind them. “Yeah. Might be the guy who helped Natalya get away last night.” Niko glanced above him and saw a sunroof in the SUV. “How are your driving skills?” An idea was forming in his mind quickly.

“Decent and better than most. What are you thinking?” Bernard changed lanes trying to bait the motorcycle to follow his moves. If it moved, then he knew they were about to have a fight on their hands.

“Just keep the vehicle moving and take a long way around to Roman’s. Don’t throw me off balance either.” Niko undid his seat belt and crawled over the center console to the back seats. He clicked open the gun case he saw and smirked at the rifle that was inside. Quickly he removed the scope from the assault rifle in the case and attached it to his own. Clicking the safety off he glanced through the windows to see that the motorcycle was pulling up next to them.

“Niko what the fuck are you planning?” Bernard kept his eyes going back and forth between the road and the approaching motorcycle. He had heard his gun case open and what sounded like the safety coming off of a gun.

“Stay focused on the road. I’ll handle this.” He reached back over the console and pushed the sunroof button, causing the sunroof to slide open. He flashed a smirk to Bernard who shot him a questioning look, before carefully standing up in the moving SUV and maneuvering himself to line up the motorcycle in his scope. The sunroof was fairly large for a government vehicle and he briefly wondered if it was meant to house a turret gun. Using the edges of the opening to steady him he scouted the man on the bike.

The person saluted him and took off cutting the vehicle off in front of their SUV and slammed on the brakes causing the car in front to swerve into the other lane hitting a minivan. The two vehicles careened into the bridge edge wall, the minivan popping up and flipping over to its top. Bernard jerked the vehicle out of the way of the happening crash and sped up to get away from the motorcycle. Horns blared around them as the sounds of crunching metal, and sparks flew about.

Niko twisted around and fired off a couple of shots at the motorcycle. Each time the SUV swayed he had to readjust his feet and aim. Cars behind them slammed on their brakes and moved out of the way of the crashed vehicles. The man on the bike lifted up his compact SMG and let out a barrage of bullets at the vehicle. Niko ducked back down in the vehicle and laid down on the floorboard to avoid the trajectory of the bullets. It made a sickening sound as the heavily armored steel took the hits. Bernard weaved around a couple of cars trying to put objects between them and the firing gun.

“This SUV is armored, but it won’t last forever! We need more firepower.” Bernard shouted over the wind from the open sunroof. He watched as the bike roared up alongside them. He took aim at Bernard and fired. The glass cracked but didn’t break. He jerked the wheel and rammed into the guy, forcing him to hit the brakes. He sped up to try and put some distance between them. “Niko!”

“What?!” Niko shouted as he stood back up and returned fire from his perch from the sunroof. He was getting more and more frustrated the longer it took to land a hit on the guy.

“There is a rocket launcher under the mat in the backset! Blow this fucker up!” Bernard narrowly avoided colliding into a vehicle that had slammed on their brakes and moved into their lane. He corrected the vehicle and checked his mirrors to see the motorcycle lift up on the back wheel and charge up toward them.

Niko dropped back down into the vehicle and removed the rifle strap from his body. He stumbled into a seat slightly as the SUV jerked to the side to slam into the motorcycle again. He landed on top of the sniper rifle with the erratic move and he winced at the pain that shot through his chest. Quickly he lifted himself up and scrambled to the back of the vehicle between the two captain chairs in the second row. He ducked down on instinct as another round of bullets collided with the windows and siding of the car.

“ _I am getting really tired of being shot at_!” Niko shouted and moved to the passenger door where the motorcycle guy was driving. He reached behind and grabbed his pistol with one hand and the door handle with the other. He shoved the door open hitting the man directly causing him to swerve and readjust on the bike. Niko aimed his pistol and unloaded on him. All nine rounds hit their target- chest, arms, leg, and helmet.

The man jerked the bike to the side and came to an abrupt stop, letting them pass him. He lined up behind the SUV and reloaded another magazine into his compact SMG, taking off in pursuit. 

“Is he fucking bullet proof?!” Bernard yelled. He reached down to his waist and pulled out an extra magazine and tossed it back to Niko, who caught it easily and reloaded his own pistol.

“Fuck if I know. His leg is at least bleeding.” He had seen the spray of blood when his bullet tore through the thigh. He closed the door as Bernard tossed him the fresh magazine. He turned back to get the rocket launcher wanting to just be done with him. He placed his pistol down on his garment bag to free his hands.

“I got to get away from all the civilians. I’m taking us to the beach. Should be empty at this hour!” He turned the wheel and cut off a few cars to be able to take the early exit of the bridge to get down to the beach. He glanced out his side mirror to see the motorcycle had followed them. “He doesn’t give up that easily.”

“They never do…” Niko grumbled and lifted the felt floorboard to reveal a Soviet era issued rocket launcher. A couple of rockets were tucked into foam slots next to it. He counted three in total. He would need to be careful with his aim and not waste precious ammo. The launcher was heavy and left him with a weighed familiarity. He had used one just like this one in the war several times. With practiced ease he loaded a rocket into the launcher and moved to get back out of the sunroof.

“Be careful with that! Wouldn’t want to blow up an innocent car.” Bernard watched as Niko stood back up out the sunroof and moved the launcher to aim at the approaching motorcycle. He slowed the vehicle down as he took the turn onto the busy streets of Hove Beach. The sooner he got them out in the open and on the sandy shores of the ocean the better.

Niko adjusted himself with every jerk of the SUV. The guy was moving slower on the motorcycle, likely due to his injures from being shot. Every time Niko would get a shot, he would move behind another vehicle. Their game of cat and mouse continued till Bernard took off down the parking lot to the beach. He locked in and pulled the trigger. The hiss of the rocket as it took off toward his target burned his ears. He dropped the empty launcher inside the SUV and clamored up to the roof. He was going to end this the way he saw fit.

The rocket exploded on impact with the ground right in front of the motorcycle. The man wobbled horribly before correcting himself. Bernard slammed on the brakes as he ran out of pavement. Niko used the momentum to launch himself from the roof to tackle the guy to the sandy shores below. He slammed into him as he rushed past the SUV and they both tumbled over into the cool sand. They rolled several feet, both working to get away from the other, as the motorcycle whined as it crashed to the ground away from them.

Niko kicked out from the man’s grasp and rolled to the side. The impact stung but the adrenaline pumping through him dulled the pain. He pulled his knife from his waist and got ready for the attack. The other man rolled to his knees and ripped off his jacket and vest that had torn from the explosion and tumble they took off the bike. He threw the items to the side and pulled his own knife out. His SMG had been thrown from his body from the explosion and subsequent crash.

“ _Rascalov sends his regards Niko.”_ The man flexed his arms and readied his knife. He slowly rose to his feet and got into position to attack. Blood ran like a river from his thigh and he gave it a few whacks to try and get his adrenaline going.

“Dimitri is dead idiot. I killed him and his entire crew.” Niko charged at him. They exchanged blows, each one being blocked or avoided easily. Their hands grabbed and pulled trying to get the other to give an opening. They danced around each other slashing out with sharp blades. Niko kicked out the man’s leg and dragged his knife along the arm that came up to block his downward strike.

He rolled away from Niko gripping at his bleeding arm. “His cousin wants you dead. And your whore passed around.” He ripped off a piece of his shirt to tie it around the deeper part of the gash. His leg trembled beneath him as a new wave of pain radiated from the bullet wound. But he would not give up or fail in his mission.

“Kate is not a whore!” Niko blocked the fist of the attacking man. He twisted the clenched hand to bend the arm at an odd angle, but the man turned and flipped his body over his arm, freeing himself from the hold.

“Ha! That’s true. _She was a tight virgin when Ivan and Vova got their hands on her!_ ” He smirked at the wild anger that flashed across Niko’s face. Quickly he pulled up his pant leg and grabbed his back up revolver and took aim at Niko’s chest.

“Fuck you!” Niko dodged to the side as the gun fired. He dove for the gun needing to get it away from the man. They fought around in the sand trying to take hold of the gun and fire it at their enemy. Every time Niko would get the upper hand the man would strike out and get the control back. They fired the bullets randomly and, in every direction, hoping to get the other to let go.

The clicking of the empty chamber greeted Niko’s ears and he elbowed the man’s gut, freeing himself from the man’s grip. He grunted when a foot connected with his chest causing him to tumble away and land with a thud in the sand. Slowly he rolled over and searched for his knife he dropped in the scuffle for the gun. His fingers brushed over cold steel and he gripped the handle, looking up to his enemy.

“Looks like you will meet your end before getting the satisfaction of killing me.” Niko noticed the slight nodding from the man’s helmet. He was getting weaker and weaker the longer his wounds were left unattended. Niko lunged at him again trying to disarm him of the knife he saw. He ducked away from a jab before slapping the man’s hand away and plunging his own knife to the hilt into the man’s chest just above the heart, giving it a slight twist. He angled it down to inflict the most damage. They froze their actions with the attack. Slowly the man stumbled back away from Niko.

“She won’t live to see another sunrise. Natalya will make sure of that.” The man fell to his knees as his legs gave out, his fingers losing grip on the knife, as it dropped dully to the sand.

“And I will make sure Natalya dies before the sun sets today.” Niko approached the man and jerked the helmet off wanting to see his attackers face. A chill descended his spine as their eyes met. He looked just like Sergei from the photos with Kate, except the eyes were blue. He threw the helmet to the side and took a step back as the resemblance was uncanny. 

“Yeah. I know. I look like my brother Sergei. Gerry killed him; this was my way of getting even.” He coughed violently, drops of blood dripped from the corners of his lips.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Niko was at a complete loss. Gerry had murdered the man who was friendly to Kate, and now her brother was out here trying to kill them all for it. He shook his head and let out a sigh. Things were so far from being contained and they were all going to suffer the consequences of their actions. He had clearly been too casual when it came to working for the McReary’s.

“You aren’t. But that’s- that’s okay.” He slumped down on his legs as his body started to become numb with the blood loss. “I was only following orders.”

“We are all only following orders.” Niko spoke softly and turned to regard Bernard as he approached his side.

Bernard limped slightly to stand at Niko’s side, holding a hand over his stomach. He pulled a bullet from his bulletproof vest and chucked it down to the bloody sand by the perpetrator. He nodded to the man as he handed Niko his pistol. He would let Niko kill him as there would be no information to get out of him. He was bleeding too much to save. Together they both looked down at the man who had chased them across the bridge. Slowly Niko lifted the pistol and aimed for the head.

“She. She won’t stop. You will have to kill her.” His breathing was becoming ragged, and his eyesight was dimming. He turned to look out over the ocean at the beautiful sunrise. “She managed to get Gerry. And that’s all the peace I need.” He gripped the knife that was embedded into his chest and jerked it free, immediately falling over to the sand with a thud.

“That’s the problem. Gerry _isn’t_ dead.” Bernard seethed and took the gun from Niko, who had lowered it away from the person with the action, and approached the body. He crouched down to be closer to his face wanting to see the surprise as it registered to him. He turned the bloodied face toward his own and smirked, “I sent my best agent in there and got him out. Now you will die with the knowledge that you failed in your revenge. _See you in the next life._ ” He stood up and fired two rounds into him. One in the knife wound and the other between the eyes. He watched as the life drained from the body.

“So. Gerry isn’t...?” Niko crossed his arms as he watched the execution happen. He held no objections and for once was glad to not be the one pulling the trigger. But the words Bernard gave to the man confused him even more.

“Can you do me a favor?” Bernard wiped the pistol clean of blood and held it out for Niko to take. He was breathing somewhat hard and wiped his sweaty forehead. It had been a long time since he was in the middle of the action. His desk was making him slow and older the longer he sat at it.

Niko took the pistol and tucked it back into its usual resting place, “Favors don’t mean much if they aren’t kept.” He glanced back down at the dead body wishing they could have gotten more information out of him.

“You have to act the part. She is watching. Has to be. Only way to keep Gerry safe is if you all act like he’s dead. I told you to not tell Kate till after the wedding to spare her even more pain. And hopefully by then we will have caught Natalya or killed her. Then Kate will never have to know about our rouse.” Bernard watched as the sand became soaked with the person’s blood. He winced as pain radiated from where a stray bullet had connected to his vest. He had run up to the fight with the intention of helping Niko kill the person.

“And Francis?” Niko wasn’t sure what to say. Parts of his logic made sense. But he could have spared him the stress of the situation as well.

“He has ears and eyes on him all the time with his position, and he can’t act. He’s too easy to read. He needed to believe he is dead. The news outlets went with our cover story. It should buy us some time.” Bernard looked back toward the parking lot and main road as he heard the distant wailing sounds of sirens. “Cops and other agents will be here soon. Go. I’ll clean this mess up. Get cleaned up with Roman and I’ll meet you at his home with your suit. We will all go together to the church. I’m sure this won’t be the only attempt today.” He let out a long sigh and rubbed at his stomach again. ‘ _Been a long time since I’ve felt this type of pain…’_

“I owe you an apology.” Niko offered turning back toward the discarded bike. The sun was getting higher and their time was fast approaching for the wedding. As the end of the fight caught up to him, he realized that he had been close to being killed, and Bernard had been shot. He looked over his shoulder at Bernard to see him undo the side straps of his vest and check for blood. His hand came away clean.

“Save the apology for another time. Saying sorry is a sign of weakness. Now hurry before the cops get here.” Bernard pulled his badge out from under his bullet proof vest and started getting ready to intercept the incoming law enforcement. He slowly walked back over to the dead body and started searching the pockets for intel or to remove anything that they could use.

“Alright. See you at Roman’s.” Niko walked over to the bike and picked it up. He walked it over to the pavement and mounted it, taking one last glance toward Bernard, before revving the engine and peeling out toward the Beachgate entrance. The wind rushed through his hair and helped calm his unrest. Something had felt off about the entire confrontation. The bike was not the same bike from last night, but the man looked the same. ‘ _Or close to the same…’_ He shook his head to clear out his jumbled up thoughts. There would be a time to pick apart their fight when he was getting washed up. But right now, he had to worry about waking a hung over Roman.

aaaaaa

“ _There is a small problem here. Requesting backup.”_

A loud knocking banged on the apartment door causing both Karen and Gerry to jump. Their eyes met and she hurriedly signaled to Gerry to get into the master bedroom to hide. He shook his head negatively. He didn’t want to leave and hide like some kind of criminal. She narrowed her eyes and pointed to the master bedroom door. He needed to hide quickly.

“Karen, I know you’re in there. You should really learn to disable your GPS on your phone.” ‘ _Is that sarcasm?’_ Karen bitterly thought.

She recognized the voice of her partner, Agent Johnson. “So now you are tracking me down for pussy? How thoughtful.” She was shaking. There should be no reason for him to track her down. He should be at the church loading weapons and gearing up his fellow agents for the impending attack. ‘ _Isn’t he part of ground team four?’_ She silently pleaded with Gerry to go hide so she could confront her partner without blowing their cover story.

“Why don’t you just open the door already?” She could hear him sigh in exasperation.

“Just. Just a second.” She pulled the IV from her arm and covered it with a Band-Aid she had prepped for it. She removed the headset and placed it down on the coffee table, the ground team would have to wait for a minute. She stood on unsteady legs causing Gerry to stand and grab hold of her. “Get your ass out of sight _now_!” She hissed at Gerry, giving him a slight shove. He was supposed to be dead, and the last thing she needed was their entire cover blown by her partner who was probably seconds away from picking the locks to get inside the apartment.

“Fuck that. Why would he be here?” He whispered back. He didn’t like it, and it caused him to get on edge. They weren’t expecting anyone, and he was starting to not trust the person on the other side of the door. He shook her shoulders trying to get her to see reason. He could help if it came to it.

“Karen is someone in there?” The place went completely silent.

“No! Just have the TV on.” She glared at Gerry, moving out of his hands, and started shoving all the files under the coffee table and slid the photos into an empty one. She grabbed her gun in the holster and adjusted her shirt. She contemplated putting the holster around her leg as a precaution. Her whole body ached and protested her moving around, but she would not jeopardize the mission. She made her way over toward the door, stopping before she got too close, and pointed one last time at Gerry hoping he would just follow her instructions.

“Fine!” Gerry grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air, before walking into the master bedroom and slightly closing the door, leaving it ajar.

“I came all this way to see you and you leave me out here waiting like some kind of discarded booty call!”

“Coming!” Karen called out still facing the master bedroom. Her stomach was knotting up inside her. She was worried about the ground team, worried about her partner showing up randomly, and what Gerry was going to think of her. ‘ _What does that even matter!’_ She quietly edged her way to the door and looked out the peep hole. What she saw caused her heart to race and her body to tremble. He was heavily armored. Full tactical gear over standard IAA uniform clothes- vest, gloves, knee pads, and was screwing a silencer into his pistol.

She jerked away from the door and looked around frantically. There was no escape route. Weapons were plentiful but she was partially undressed and severely compromised. She lifted her gun and removed the holster and took off the safety, placing the holster down on a side table by the door. She leaned against the wall next to the door and took aim knowing the next few seconds might be her last.

“Come on Karen. I know you miss me!”

“Jesus you are one impatient man!” She reached up and slid the metal chain lock toward her, making sure her body was as far from the door as possible. She made as much noise as possible hoping he would hear her opening the door. Bullets tore through the wooden door and she let out a shriek, dropping down against the wall to sit on the floor. She grabbed a heavy ceramic bowl from the side table by the door and dropped it to the floor when the firing stopped, hoping it would sound like her body dropping to the floor. The silence was deafening in the apartment.

“Sweetheart?” Agent Johnson called out, reloading his pistol.

She groaned out hoping he would take the bait. She aimed her gun toward where she expected his head and chest to be and tried to calm the shaking of her hands. He kicked at the door several times before it flew open, slamming into the opposite wall. She paused only long enough for him to cross into the threshold and fired her gun. She targeted his chest, arms, and face. He stumbled with the hits and dove into the apartment, rolling over to his knees taking aim at her.

She scurried to her feet and took off for better cover, trying her best to shield herself against the barrage of bullets that rang out after her. She ducked down behind the couch and grabbed the assault rifle from under the coffee table. “I don’t think that’s any way to greet your sweetheart, jackass!” Karen popped up from behind the couch and fired at Agent Johnson. Letting the full auto drain the magazine.

He ran for cover behind the hallway corner, “What? You don’t like surprises?” He blindly fired around the corner toward the couch, emptying his pistol. He discarded the empty magazine to the floor and grabbed a fresh one from his vest. That’s when he felt a sharp shooting sensation from his side. He placed his hand over his side where he felt the pain and lifted it to see if there was blood. Karen had managed to hit him where his vest didn’t cover him. He grimaced at his luck but was otherwise unharmed.

“Not this particular surprise. So what? You got two back up mags, probably a long k-bar knife, vest, and maybe one flashbang?” She crouched down by the coffee table and reloaded the assault rifle. She glanced over her shoulder toward the master bedroom and briefly wondered if Gerry was taking cover or was right behind the door watching. She would try to keep the firing from that direction so he wouldn’t be killed in the crossfire.

“You know me so well darling. Two down, one to go. Want to count?” He sprang from his hiding spot and charged the couch firing every time he got her in his sights. She scampered across the floor and around the couch returning fire. He stumbled back when a couple of bullets caught him in the vest.

“I have plenty here.” She quickly hobbled over to the dining room table, dropping the empty assault rifle, and picked up a compact SMG, slapped the firing mechanism, and turned toward Johnson. Her hands shook violently, and she sucked in a deep breath to try and calm her nerves.

“Shit!” He dropped down behind the smaller couch as she let out the entire clip at him. The bullets sprayed everywhere- the couch, the walls, hitting the lamps, and floor. The noise was impossibly loud, and he covered his ears and huddled down in on himself to make himself as small of a target as possible. He listened as she discarded the empty magazine to the hardwood floor and reloaded another one. 

“Still counting? This would be two for me!” She fired in bursts toward the couch hoping at least one of the bullets would hit him. She edged her way around the room to be able to get to him without any obstacles blocking her shot. Her feet felt like lead and she put more effort into her movements.

He leaned out from the side of the couch and fired toward her feet he could see approaching him. She leapt up on the large couch to avoid getting hit and returned fire. He resumed his previous position of using the sofa as cover. “This is getting us nowhere!” He yelled out once she stopped firing. He yanked a couple of mangled bullets from his vest and took a couple of deep breaths to ease the pain that was radiating all over his body.

“I agree. Why are you trying to kill me dickhead!” She discarded the SMG to the floor, stepping down off the couch, and grabbed her knife from the closest end table, jerking it free from the holster.

“Isn’t it obvious? I signed up for the extraction of Darko from Bucharest. And it wasn’t because my _boss_ asked nicely. I was paid handsomely for my work.” He checked his pistol and realized he had just used the one backup magazine left. He shook his head at his own stupidity. He should have known she would be a harder target to eliminate. ‘ _I trained her well…’_

“Who turned you?” She let out a shaky breath. She was going to have to kill him- there was no way she was going to let a rat continue to operate in the IAA. And she knew he would never give up information in a torture session. They were all trained to just die and never give up what the person wanted. That was the harshest lesson they learned in training. If you are captured- assume no one will come rescue you and prepare yourself to die. Do not let anything slip past your lips. Agency before life.

“Are you as dumb as you are hot?” He pulled his knife from it’s resting place and checked his side wound. It wasn’t bleeding badly, but it was starting to hurt the longer he sat there. He would end this quickly and get back to base before time ran out.

“You think I’m hot? How flattering. Now come out here and face me you two-time coward!” She flipped her knife around in her hand and took a grip of the handle preparing for his attack. She bit back a groan as her leg trembled beneath her. 

“Name calling. You know I always loved it when you called me names in bed.” He stood up from behind the couch and scowled at her. He scanned her for weapons and only saw the knife. He was always better at hand to hand combat than her.

“You also liked it when I dominated you.” She moved away from the couch to the open space between the kitchen and living room. She kept her eyes trained on his movements as he made his way to her. “Natalya dominate you as well?” She could only assume the absolute worst at this point. His betrayal was clearly not just on a whim, and he must have been feeding her information for months now. ‘ _Ever since the coke bust… We’ve spent so much time together.’_

“She has her ways. Money talks.” They started to slowly circle each other, each one hesitant to make the first move. 

“So what? You betray everyone for money? Lot of good that will do you when you’re dead.” Her heart was thundering away in her chest, blood pulsing heavily in her veins. Her leg was starting to throb in protest to the exertion. She was at a severe disadvantage and she knew it. She would need to eliminate him quickly before her body gave out on her. Fear was gnawing away at her heart, and she swallowed down the terror that wanted to surface. There would be a time to panic, and now was not it.

“I’m not the one marked for death. You were my assignment after Torres went down for the coke and murder of Escuela. Natalya knew you wouldn’t let go of Niko so easily. It was pathetic really. You moped around the office like some heartsick puppy. Was too easy to pull you under my influence. I felt bad for you at times. But you had your uses.” He struck her where he knew it hurt and smirked at the rage that bloomed across her features.

That hit a nerve and it ignited the rage that brewed beneath the surface. She let out a growl of frustration as she lunged for him slashing her knife across his body. She dodged his attempts easily, as they trained together fairly often and knew his go to moves and strikes. He grabbed her wrist that held the knife and she dropped it to her other hand, swiping it across the velcro straps of his vest. He shoved her away from him and took a couple of steps back, placing a hand over where her knife caught him under his arm.

“Have I hit a sensitive subject?” He removed the tattered vest and chucked it toward the couch. He rotated his wrist with the knife and readjusted his fighting stance. Her rage was more controlled than it was in the fighting ring back at the office. He would need to shift his focus and position of attack. ‘ _She is getting better at handling that hot head of hers.’_

“You must have followed me to the prison. Explains why there was never a distress signal sent out to NOOSE.” They continued to circle each other again, trying to bait one another to strike first. She figured he had blocked the signal, maybe cut the wires to the building. There was no way the silent alarm wasn’t activated when the thugs stormed the front gate.

“Clever girl. You were supposed to die. We didn’t care about Gerry’s life. But he was a fortunate casualty. It at least hurts Kate in the long run and settled a couple of debts for others involved.” He shrugged. It hadn’t mattered about Gerry, but it had worked out in the end. He had watched as the news reported the death of all the guards and inmates. Her name wasn’t listed, but then again IAA was never supposed to be in the spotlight. They were the unknown shadows of the intelligence agencies in the country. They operated on their own. So he had checked her phone’s GPS signal and was bewildered to see it at an upscale apartment complex in Middle Park West. He had received his orders and he took off to find Karen.

“Then you all must _really_ suck at your jobs. Kate is alive, Niko is alive, I’m alive. You keep failing at every turn. No wonder she had to get her hooks into an idiot like you. It runs in the group!” She dodged his attempt to stab her but failed to block his kick to her thigh. She screamed at the pain that rushed through her body. It was like getting shot all over again. She fell to the ground, dropping her knife to clutch at her injury. Agony ripped through her body and she was almost blinded by the sheer force it had over her.

He kicked her on her side and forced her to roll to her back. He dropped down on top of her and slapped her across the face _hard_. She fought back with everything she had, clawing at his face and neck. He jerked her arm down to her side and pinned it down with his knee, grabbing her other one with his free hand. He held her down to the ground and shook his head, mocking her, “You fight better than this. I thought this was going to take much longer. Killing you sucks, but it’s my only way out.” He lifted his sleeve of his dress shirt and showed off his debt tattoo.

“You bastard. You don’t have to do this.” She struggled to get out from under him. He was crushing her and most of his weight was centered over her injured leg, effectively pinning her down. Tears sprang to her eyes and her chest squeezed painfully. “You swore an oath to protect our country. What is _wrong_ with you?!” She fought down the sob that bubbled in her throat. Her attempts at getting free were dimming with every second that passed.

“The agency doesn’t pay shit. And I was going nowhere. Now I am second in command of the most powerful gang out of Hove. She has plans. We are going to take over this whole blasted city. Kenny should not have deserted her like he did. He will pay for that mistake.” He leaned back on his legs causing her to hiss in pain. He picked up her discarded knife and slowly twirled the blade in his hand, “Throat, chest, or slit the wrists? Choices, choices…” His smirk took on a dark edge as he raked his eyes over her frame.

“Make it look like a suicide of a desperate lover that was dumped? That would mean the wrists.” He gently trailed the sharp edge of the knife down her arm, not cutting the skin or sleeve, but with enough force to let her know it was there. “Or a whacked out agent who couldn’t handle the pressure of the infamous IAA. I’d go for the heart on that one.” He tapped the flat edge of the blade on her chest where her shirt gapped open. “Or perhaps I’ll just slit your throat and watch as you gag on your own blood. You never did gag on me.” He leaned down close to her face and pressed the sharp edge across her throat.

“Hey fucker! Guess you really do suck at your job!” Gerry shoved open the master bedroom door, pistol at the ready. He scowled at the man on top of Karen. He had torn apart the bedroom and bathroom looking for a weapon when the firing started. He felt true panic settle over him at being stupid enough to not grab a gun as he went into the bedroom before all hell broke loose. He checked every drawer in the dresser, nightstand, under the pillows of the bed, under the bed, in the bathroom cabinets, then his sights landed on the closet. Everyone he knew had a spare weapon in the closet for emergencies. He located a lockbox on a top shelf. He pried the edge open enough to look inside and managed to see a vintage pistol inside the soft felt foam. It took a ton of effort to open the box far enough to get the pistol out, but he had somehow got the pistol to slide free of the box.

“I don’t fucking believe it!” Johnson was at a loss for words and could only stare at Gerry who stood menacing in the doorway.

“Best start believing in your bad luck. Because the McReary’s will never fall to the likes of you or your gang!” He fired the gun twice, hitting the man in the chest and head. The body slumped over partially off of Karen.

Karen struggled to get her legs free from under Johnson. She kicked out and removed herself from him, sitting up slowly from the floor. The tears fell freely down her face and her whole body shook as reality sank in. Her hands shook as she placed them over her neck where the knife had been. Gerry approached her silently and knelt down at her side, helping support her weight as she sat up off the floor. She refused to look at him, not wanting him to see her vulnerable and weak.

He placed a hand on the back of her head and stroked over her hair, trying to offer some form of comfort. He wouldn’t admit it to her but seeing her under the rouge agent scared him. He had a knife to her throat and by the looks of it was seconds away from ending her life. He drifted his hand down to her shoulders and pulled her shirt more over her frame. It had slightly come open in the front and he covered the sight of her chest from him.

“I-” Gerry started not sure on what to say. He was never good at feelings and being there for someone. His failed three marriages could attest to that. But seeing her barely keeping it together made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to shift her focus and get that spitfire energy back to her. She held this spark to her when anger got the better of her, and he liked seeing it come to life on her face.

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m alive. Thanks to you.” She whispered the words not wanting to disturb the silence that had settled into the apartment. The smell of gunpowder wafted over her and she scrunched up her nose. The place was an absolute wreck and she briefly wondered how mad her boss was going to be when he got back.

“No problem. Are you injured?” He looked her over for obvious signs of their struggle. He flattened out some of her hair that was sticking up in the back. There were not any splotches of blood on her face or shirt, but he knew she had screamed out in pain. It’s what caused him to tear at the lockbox with renewed energy to get the gun out. He hadn’t heard that type of scream in a long time and it rattled him.

“He kicked my leg pretty good. But other than that, I should be okay. Are you injured?” She glanced up to him and see if any stray bullets had hit in while he was hiding in the bedroom. She scanned his body quickly before dropping her eyes back down to her lap. He had been spared from the firefight. She ran her hand over her throat once more trying to remove the feel of the blade.

“Let me see.” He ignored her question and removed her hand from her neck. There was the faintest impression against her skin, but otherwise it was unmarked. He caressed over the indention with his thumb hoping to remove it. Her eyes closed as he saw to her neck and he took the chance to study her more closely. He continued to trace his thumb over her skin as she visibly relaxed under his touch. “I don’t see any marks. I don’t think he was pressing down hard enough to cut the skin.”

His words were soft, soothing, and gentle as they floated around her. “He was getting there. If you had been just a second later…” Her voice died in her throat as she opened her eyes to look into his dark green ones. They were so close to each other; all she would have to do was lean toward him.

“ _You have exactly one second before I round the corner!_ ” Bernie yelled before jumping into the apartment from the open front door, with a rifle drawn around his body. He was dressed in a fancy three piece suit, assault rifle at the ready, and a serious expression splashed across his face. He glanced at Karen before shifting his focus to Gerry. He raised his rifle and took aim, not knowing who the male was. Gerry lifted the pistol at the perceived threat.

“Gerry it’s okay. This is Bernie. The medic who patched me up this morning.” Karen spoke softly and sniffled slightly. The sight of Bernie in the apartment almost broke her resolve. He had come to her aid. She placed her hand over the pistol in Gerry’s hand and forced him to lower it. “Hey Bernie. We make too much noise?” She took in a shuddering breath and glanced up to Bernie giving him a weak smile.

“The whole damn apartment heard the gunfire! There is no way someone hasn’t already called the cops. I say you got maybe two to four minutes before the place is swarmed.” He took a couple of steps into the apartment before noticing the dead body on the floor. “Oh dear. This is quite the mess…” He made a full turn as he took in the bullet holes over the walls and furniture.

“We have to hide Gerry. The cops will recognize him. Fuck! This whole plan is going to shit so fast.” She swore as she tried to get to her feet. Gerry immediately picked her up off the flood and stood, placing her down on her feet, keeping his hands on her as she struggled to stay upright. “Can he go to your apartment? He can’t be here when the cops show. I’ll take care of them.” She took the gun from Gerry and fired one more time into Johnson, letting some of her anger go. It would take some time to process everything that just took place.

“Kate and Mal are there…” He shifted his rifle around his body and approached Karen, “I need to check your leg. You have probably hurt it again. I have some pain meds that will help as well.” He noticed her hesitation and the way she drew away from him and toward Gerry.

“Gerry go with Bernie to his apartment down the hall. I’ll stay here to intercept the cops. Flash the whole IAA badge and make this all disappear. I need to call my boss…” She broke away from Gerry’s arms and hobbled over to the couch, pulling out her badge from down between the couch cushions. “I’ll be fine. Go! Now before the cops get here. You have an illegal weapon and he is supposed to be in prison.” She turned to face the two men in the semi-destroyed apartment, picking up her cell phone from the floor.

“So, you are the brother who was ’killed’ this morning? Kate will be thrilled to see you!” Bernie smiled and clapped his hands together. He was quickly putting two and two together.

“What’s the plan Karen?” Gerry ignored the flamboyant man next to him and focused on the female who was hardly keeping it together. She was shaking mildly and was avoiding looking at him in the eye.

“The plan is fucked. Mostly. I don’t know. One thing at a time. Just stay in the apartment with Kate. Niko clearly hasn’t told her of your supposed death. I’ll ask the boss and figure it out from here. Take whatever weapons you two want. The less the cops see the better. Just don’t take the ones I fired.” She sank down on the bullet riddled couch and let out a sigh, dropping her face into her hands.

Gerry huffed out an annoyed sound, moved over to the dining room table, and grabbed a spare SMG and assault rifle. He went about loading them and placed the straps over his shoulders. Bernie walked up on his side and grabbed a couple of spare magazines for his rifle. He only had what was left over from the hospital shoot out. The extra ammo would be good to have. He tucked them into his jacket and pants pockets. He smiled when Gerry glanced over to him.

“Bernie? Who is watching over Kate?” Karen asked from the couch realizing now that the two women were probably left alone and defenseless in the unit down the hall.

“She has a gun. And I wasn’t going to be gone long.” He turned to look over to the federal agent. “And _honestly_. I’m fully dressed this time. You should put some clothes on.”

She let out a startled laugh at his joke, needing the cheering up more than she let on. “I will put some pants on before the cops show. Get going the two of you. I’ll come over once I get the police to leave.” She shook her head at Bernie and let out a small smile.

“Wait. My sister has a gun? Now that is a sight I must see!” Gerry walked over to Karen and placed a hand on her shoulder, “You will be okay?” He watched as she turned to look up and him and give him a small smile. She looked exhausted and scared.

“I will be. Go before I force you.” She gave her best attempt to scold him, but it came off as more of a beg. She reached up and brushed her fingers over the back of his hand gently. She was extremely thankful for him being there. Bernie would have shown too late, and she would have bled out before he would have been able to stop the bleeding. The tears came of their own fruition and she swiped at them angrily. “Thank you.” She whispered out hoping he would get the meaning.

“Thank me later.” He cupped her face and wiped a few tears away with his thumb. “Give the cops hell and then come see me.” He nodded to her to make sure she understood that he wouldn’t leave the apartment and would wait for her to come get him. He brushed one more tear from her face before moving away from her. “Come on Bernie. I want to see my sister. Been a long time since I’ve seen her.” And he prayed she wouldn’t freak out too bad at seeing him outside of prison.

“Oh you will just die when you see her! Some of my best work on her hair. Mal did a wonderful job with her makeup too! Oh this is going to be so wonderful! A partial family reunion!” Bernie practically sang as they exited the apartment and headed back for his unit down the hall.

She listened as their voices faded down the long hallway. “Get it together. You can’t cry in front of the cops!” She wiped at her face and moved off the couch in search of some pants. She would need to formulate a story and quick. ‘ _Break in? Discovered spy? Love gone wrong? Or just IAA business, nothing to see here? Ugh!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N): Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter. I was going to put the first part of the next chapter with this one, but then it would make this chapter feel like it ran on too long. So I am sorry for stopping this one before the typical 32K mark on work count. I will make the next one longer to make up for it!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has sent PMs, reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. The encouragement is greatly appreciated. I have this also posted on another site, so if you find it easier to read in a different format, check the other site out. The next chapter is still in the beginning stages, but I plan on posting it toward the end of September. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts!!! 
> 
> I think we all know what’s up next! Mr. and Mrs. Bellic!


	9. Mr. and Mrs. Bellic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is folks! In all its glory! I am so nervous and excited to post this chapter. After dealing with some major personal life issues that came up, I was able to finally get time to get this chapter finished. Please let me know what you think! And thank you for being patient with me. I was on a roll there for a while and this was definitely the longest break in updates. :)
> 
> Slight warning- There are some religious tones and words used in this chapter.

The bike hummed beneath him as he approached Beachgate's main entrance. The brick security check-in arch loomed overhead and caused him to slow down as he passed beneath it. The dread that built every time he entered the neighborhood was hard to shake. Faustin's home was at the very end of Shinnecock Ave and he couldn't understand why Roman had wanted to buy a home so close to where they almost met their demise. Niko passed the low-rise apartment building and slowed his speed down further as he neared all the more established homes. There were few pedestrians out and about and he wondered if it was due to the chilly weather or the early hour.

The roofline of Faustin's home came into view as he rounded the curve and he had to fight the urge to turn around. So much had gone wrong since waking up in Mikhail's basement. He could almost pinpoint all his troubles to that moment in time. He had laughed and joked not really believing that their end was to be met in some dingey basement- all because he had shot Vlad. He wondered if Ilyena and Anna were doing alright, or if Ilyena had decided to move away and take Anna with her. She had seemed hopeful at starting over, but Mikhail's death had hit them hard.

Niko shook his head and snapped himself out of his thoughts as Roman's street came up. He turned down Claiborne Street and approached the three story paneled home that Roman had purchased. Carefully he maneuvered into the driveway in front of the detached two car garage. He shoved the kickstand out with his foot and took a moment to breathe, turning the engine off, letting his body slump slightly against the bike. ' _That was too close. Not sure how many more of these I can walk away from unscathed…'_ He scanned around the immediate area for signs of a struggle, fight, or anything out of the usual. Everything held a peaceful glow to it, and he let out a shaky breath.

The quiet waves that crashed against the rocky cliff, the distant sounds of cars driving, and the birds chirping caused a small amount of calm to descend upon him. Now he could see why Roman had chosen this neighborhood to settle down in. It was like a small escape from the busy city and chaotic world that waited on the other side of the security gate. His heartbeat slowed to a normal pace the longer he rested on the bike and let the soothing sounds of Beachgate wash over him.

He glanced over the home, taking notice for the first time the shape the house was in. The light brown, almost white, paneling stood out against the bright orange and red leaves from the trees that grew on the lot. The windows were clean and free of dirt, and the front wooden porch looked freshly stained. The light was on that hung from the awning of the porch and he had to smile at Mallorie's way of letting him know someone was home. The well maintained lawn looked recently groomed and he wondered who Roman had hired to take care of the place, and if he needed to check this person out. He scooted the motorcycle up the driveway closer to the garage door to give Bernard room to park the SUV.

His body was starting to throb from the fight he was recently in and he wished he would have time to rest properly. He felt a pulling sensation as he dismounted the bike and he groaned at the pain in his back. ' _If things keep going like they are, my body is going to age much faster than I will…'_ Niko scanned the street for anything out of the ordinary as he approached the front porch and waved as one of Roman's neighbors placed a bag into their trashcan.

The elderly lady waved to him and beckoned him over, "Young man! Do you know the couple that lives there?" She wore a thick, heavy looking, pink flowery robe over a frail frame. Her hair was silvery and pulled back into a loose braid.

Niko looked both ways before moving to the fence of Roman's yard, leaning into the sturdy wood, "I do. The man is my cousin." He nodded politely and took another glance down the street to make sure this wasn't some kind of distraction for other people to ambush the home. He dropped one of his arms down from the fence and slowly moved it to be able to grab his pistol if need be.

"You look rather on edge. Big day for them both! I just called my friend, Galina, who is making the wedding cake, and asked if she wanted me to drop off their wedding gift now since I saw you out here. She asked if I would. Would you mind if I go grab it really quick? Won't take but a second." She gestured to her home and waited for the man to answer her.

"Galina? Yeah sure I'll wait right here." He crossed his arms and leaned heavily into the fence trying to alleviate the pain in his legs. He had taken a rather rough tumble from the top of the SUV and he knew he was going to be feeling that one for a long time. His body was starting to feel all the punches and kicks he deflected and took. He watched as she hesitated to head back inside the house. She had mentioned his friend and it put him at ease for the time being. If there was one person, he could trust that he had met in Liberty, it would be the kind woman who owned the coffee shop in Middle Park.

"Okay. My old bones don't move like they used to, but I'll be fast." The elderly lady hobbled back toward the front door and disappeared inside the house. Niko watched her leave his line of sight and he let out a long breath. He wasn't sure what to expect to be getting from this lady or what Galina had cooked up as a wedding gift. As far as he knew he hadn't mentioned the wedding to Galina. ' _Perhaps Roman knows of the coffee shop?'_

The door creaked as it opened, and the lady emerged once more carrying what looked like a shoe box. She took the steps slowly and made her way across the street to hand the box over, "I may not understand why Galina put these items together. I've long since forgot tradition, or at least these traditions. Then again, I'm Polish so I have no idea the significance of it. But I adore Mallorie. She gives me loads of hilarious stories. I already gave her my wedding gift. But Galina was nonstop talking about the couple and I told her I live next door. So yesterday when I was having tea at her shop, I offered to deliver the gift. She's unable to make the ceremony but will be there at the reception!" The lady took a few deep breaths, slightly winded, and held out the box for the man to take.

Niko gave her a once over before taking the box from her, "Galina is a good friend. I'm sure what she put together will have meaning. Thank you for doing this for her." He went to tuck the box beneath his arm when the lady reached out and stopped him.

"Open it please. I'd like to know why those items. My kids are long married, and I have grandbabies galore. But this gift confuses me." She was going to place her hand on his arm but backed off with the way he flinched. "Unless this is some kind of personal thing and I should mind my business?" She had to give a slight smile at her words, hoping she hadn't overstepped.

"I might not even get the meanings. I am not married, nor have I attended many weddings back home." He could see the curiosity that built on the older lady's face and couldn't stop the chuckle at seeing her slightly rock on her feet wanting to know about the gift. He moved the box to rest against the top of the fence and lifted the lid to see what was inside. He peeled back a couple of pieces of tissue paper to revel an old wooden flask and a stemless wine goblet.

"Well?" The older lady peered into the box and waited for the young man to explain the items to her.

"If I am correct. The glass is for the bride. She should take a drink from this before the ceremony, make some kind of toast, then throw it. If the glass shatters, she will have a boy, if it stays intact, she will have a girl first. It's not the most reliable way to guess the gender of a baby." He lightly laughed with the lady as he explained what he knew, "The flask is meant for the groom's side of the wedding. Since I am probably the only one who understands this, I will need to offer guests of the wedding to take a drink from it. They are then supposed to decorate it with money." He shifted the box and lifted the wooden flask. He could tell it was very old and worn down. He could barely remember seeing one in a friend's home before a wedding. But those memories were few and far between now.

"Thank you for sharing. Now go get ready! There is no way that is what you are wearing to the wedding. Mallorie would have your hide!" She huffed playfully and patted the fence between them, "Tell them Eileen says congratulations and I'm always available to babysit when the time comes. Babies are such a blessing." She sighed dreamily and turned to move back toward her own home to get her day started.

"I will. Thank you again." Niko closed the box and felt the nostalgia leave him in a rush. It would be something special to show Roman once he got him awake. He turned to look out over the ocean and desperately wished his mother were with him. She would enjoy getting to see Roman tie the knot, meeting Kate, their friends, seeing Florian again- but she would not be safe here. He had people to deal with before he would offer his mother a place to visit. He would ensure that no one would be able to do her harm, that no one would be after him, and then he would invite her to come meet his girlfriend. ' _She will adore a grandchild. Especially getting to tease Roman about being a father.'_ The thought placed a genuine small to his face.

Niko tucked the box under his arm and made his way over to the front door somewhat dreading having to wake a hungover Roman. As he approached the door, he noticed it wasn't pulled completely shut. The dread that seeped into his bones was not to be ignored. Niko reached behind him and pulled his pistol, removing the safety quickly. He had been chased this direction by a man on a motorcycle, and there was no way to know if this was yet another trap set for him. And after going through the same scenario at the McReary's home, he wouldn't take any chances.

He readied the pistol and tapped the door open with the barrel, checking for enemies as the wooden door slowly edged open. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darker interior as he crossed the threshold. He sucked in a steadying breath and tried to calm his now racing heart. He checked the blind spots of the foyer before quietly closing the door to the same position it was in. The entryway was dark, and he couldn't hear a single noise in the house- not a clock, not running water, not even the occasional snore. The same fear that pulsed through him at the McReary home rushed through him once more.

Softly he set the box down on a small table that was near the door, freeing his arm in case he had to attack someone. He was regretting leaving his rifle in Bernard's SUV now, and he swore in his mind at his unfortunate luck. He checked the corners as he approached the staircase that lead to the bedrooms, keeping his finger on the trigger, ready to fire at anyone who was dumb enough to harm his cousin. His heart was thundering away in his chest and he forced his thoughts to stay blank and not conjure up disturbing images of Roman getting slaughtered in his own home. Or seeing Maureen's dead body limply laid out on her bed... So far nothing seemed out of place, unlike the McReary home, and it caused him to have hope.

The backdoor jerked open and Niko swung himself around and prepared to shoot at the intruder who was rushing in at him.

"The fuck NB!" Roman shouted as he ducked down at the sight of the pistol and his cousin. The action caused him to drop his coffee cup and he cursed at the sound of the breaking ceramic against the wood flooring.

"What do you mean the fuck! Roman I thought someone had broken into your home!" Niko half yelled and glanced once more at the stairs before walking over to help his cousin clean up the spilled coffee and broken cup.

"Is this any way to greet your cousin on his wedding day?! I was outside enjoying the most beautiful sunrise, trying to nurse this damn hangover, and here you are pointing a gun at me!" Roman scoffed and moved into the kitchen to grab the dustpan and broom, "Mal is going to kill me when she realizes I broke another coffee mug."

"My bad. Your front door was partially open, and the last time I encountered a front door broken open, Kate was almost raped, and her mother was killed. I was not going to take any more chances." Niko clicked the safety back on and tucked the gun back into his waistband, "Want some help?" He felt bad for somewhat yelling, but he was balancing on the edge and was having a tough time keeping himself levelheaded. He sucked in a long breath and willed his blood pressure to lower. ' _Roman is fine, Mal is at Bernie's, and the place is safe. Calm yourself…'_

"I guess Mal left it that way. She said she was going to Bernie's to get ready. I think I said something to her about you coming to pick me up. She knows you don't have a key." He huffed and collected the broken pieces into the pan before walking over to the trashcan and dumping it inside. Roman sighed heavily and glanced toward his cousin, "NB sometimes I just can't shake this feeling." He motioned toward the pot of coffee offering him a cup.

Niko nodded and made his way into the kitchen, taking a seat at the large island, "What feeling?" He was not used to seeing his cousin so depressed looking. He was always so cheerful, expressive, and full of life. This was not how he should be acting on the day of his wedding. He gave his cousin a concerning look as their eyes met briefly.

"Nothing," Roman shook his head and pulled two cups from an upper cabinet, placed them down on the counter, before bringing over the pot of coffee. He poured them each a cup and moved over to the oversized fridge to pull out the creamer. He made his way over to his cousin and sank down on the stool next to him. Silently he made his cup of coffee, before getting up again and walking over to a different cabinet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"You sure that's a good idea Roman?" Niko was adding creamer to his own cup when he noticed the bottle Roman had gone for.

"I need something to take the edge off for now. I'm not going to get drunk. But I need something to settle this pit in my stomach." He grumbled before taking his seat again and adding a healthy pour of the brown liquid to his cup. He brought it up to his lips and took a long drink of it.

Niko watched as he basically downed the entire cup. There was definitely something going on and he wasn't sure where to start. His melancholy attitude was grating against his own and he needed him to snap out of it. "Your neighbor and Galina sent a wedding gift." He figured he'd start with something neutral and work his way to what was really bothering Roman.

"Galina is wonderful. Best pastry café in all of LC. Could go for a few krofne right about now." He placed his coffee cup down and went for the whiskey bottle.

Niko grabbed the bottle from his grasp and placed it down on his other side away from Roman, "Cousin it is too early to be drinking." He picked up his own cup and took a sip of the coffee letting the warmth from the drink soothe his insides and settle his muscles. It had been chilly outside, and he hadn't realized how cold he was feeling till he sat down in their kitchen.

"Niko it is more than likely noon in the homeland. Now hand it over! It is time to start celebrating! Today is going to be the happiest day of my life. I'm getting married to the beautiful Mallorie." He turned to glare at his cousin who was keeping him from the bottle of whiskey.

"Yes, and I would think she would like a sober groom to marry." He pushed the bottle further away from them and took another sip from his cup. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see his cousin deflate before shoving off the stool and head for the backdoor. "Where are you going?!" Niko asked alarmed at the drastic change in personality from his cousin. He placed his cup of coffee down on the marble counter and swung around on the stool to face the backdoor of his cousin's home.

"Outside. The view is better out there." Roman grumbled opening the door and walked outside, not bothering to close the door knowing his cousin was going to follow him.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Niko muttered under his breath before getting up from his spot to follow him back outside into the sunny morning light. Roman plopped down into a lounge chair that was facing the ocean. The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking from their backyard and Niko had to pause for a moment to stare at it. He had been so consumed with everything going on in his life that he was missing getting to see the natural beauty that thrived in Liberty City. The sun was warm against his face and he felt some of his uncertainty leave him.

"Cousin I just don't know anymore." Roman spoke up as the silence carried on for longer than he could stand. He was watching the waves of the ocean and how the light reflected off its surface creating a pleasing mix of colors. He heard Niko move over to the other lounge chair and sit down, causing him to glance to his only family he had in LC.

"What don't you know?" Niko took his time studying him. He looked tired, worried, and scared. Things he couldn't remember ever seeing from his cousin. Unless he counted the basement fiasco, the warehouse kidnapping, or any other moment where Niko had to save him from harm. Now that he thought about it, Roman was easily scared, but always managed to bounce back almost instantly. For him to be this sulky worried him.

"I think Mallorie is hiding something from me. Something major. Not just a honeymoon surprise. It's like when I found out about Vlad. But this feels worse since we've both been so honest with one another and faithful. At least _I've_ been faithful as of late. As soon as we had our talk, I stopped going to the clubs, I stopped seeing other women. I chose only her. I continue to only choose her." He waved his hand out toward the ocean hoping it helped get his words across to Niko.

"Do you have reason to believe she is hiding something?" His conversation with Kate immediately snapped to the front of his mind.

_"I think she is pregnant. More than think really."_ Kate's words echoed around in his mind and he forced his face to stay neutral. If Mallorie had yet to confirm to Roman that she was pregnant, then he would not spoil that conversation. That was something meant to be shared between lovers and be something incredibly private and personal. He would not rob his cousin of that surprise. But if he spiraled any further, he would force Mallorie's hand in telling him.

"Not exactly. She's been somewhat distant. She says it's the stress from the wedding. Stress from working at my company. Stress from her family not wanting to come to the wedding. Stressed about going to see her family in a week. Stress. Stress. Stress. Am I not the one who is supposed to help shoulder that stress? Does she think I'm not capable?" Roman leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes, rubbing one of his hands over his face.

Niko was at a complete loss. He hardly ever dealt with his own feelings, let alone know how to voice them properly, and now his cousin was having a break down in front him? He let his words tumble around in his mind as he thought up what exactly to say. He shifted further into the chair to get more comfortable and went back to watching the sunrise. He had spent so much time away from Roman, and once he was back in his life, everything went to shit. Vlad, Mikhail, Dimitri, Bulgarin, Ray, Jimmy. He just kept replacing the person on the chopping block and his cousin had suffered for his decisions.

"Cousin when I suggested you come stay with me, I was worried you'd disown the idea. Mr. Big Man traveling the high seas, robbing Europe blind, killing the bad guys, getting the ladies. And what was I? Some low life chump who barely had a taxi service and was heavily in debt to every loan shark in Broker, Hove, and Dukes. There was no way you'd come if you knew the truth. So I lied. At first it was only a little, then it exploded into the emails you received. I am sorry I deceived you." Roman reached under his chair and picked up a half empty bottle of vodka and took a heavy swig. "And now Mallorie is going to be stuck with this low life scum."

"Roman! Enough of this!" Niko grabbed the bottle from his cousin and sat up on the chair, turning to face him, "Yes your emails were rather exotic and over the top. And yes, I was disappointed when I got here and all you had was large cockroaches. But you are my cousin. You are family. I wasn't going to let some jackass fuck your girl, ruin your life and business. You and me are going to take over this city, right? That was your plan, yes?" He needed to snap his cousin out of it. He was starting to legitimately worry about his wellbeing. "I have not been very supportive of you, and I'm sorry for that. I am proud of you cousin. You have a succeeding business, a beautiful home, a beautiful bride. What has you so down? Honestly?" He found the cap to the bottle on the ground and closed it, being sure to hold on to it in case Roman went for it again. He softened his gaze as Roman fidgeted before him.

"I guess I am facing judgement of my own. I am second guessing if I am right for Mal. You are right. I have been on the upswing. I guess I just fear that all of this will be taken away from me so easily. Just like when my original cab business and apartment was burned to the ground. I worked hard for those things. I got here and I had nothing, nobody. I worked my way up from the fucking dirt. I do not want to go through that again NB." Roman looked up at the sky and let out a shaky breath, "You ever get this unshakeable feeling like something is just so wrong and there is nothing you can do to fix it or change the course you are on?"

"Every day since the wars started." Niko grew quiet. He could relate what his cousin was feeling. He was dreading what was going on currently and what might happen if Natalya strikes first and succeeds in killing someone he cares for. He would not be able to live with himself if Kate or Roman were to be killed due to his choices. He studied the blades of grass around his feet wishing there was something he could say or do to help alleviate the way Roman was feeling.

"Niko one day you will need to share with me what they were like. Was I truly spared by not getting involved and coming to America?" He turned in his chair to look at his cousin. They had danced around the topic so many times but never once broached the subject. Perhaps it would remain so for the rest of their lives- something to be mentioned in passing, but never truly broken down and discussed.

"You do not have to live with the nightmares of having to kill your friends, your enemies, or women and children. There are many nights where I do not sleep because I see their faces. Part of me really does wish I had killed Darko. He does not deserve to live for what he has done to Florian and me. But what does that make me? A continuous killer. Bringer of death." Niko opened the bottle of vodka and took a swing, wincing at the taste before passing it off to Roman. Maybe one drink wouldn't hurt them. He could use the distraction for the moment. Opening old wounds always caused him to crave a drink.

"You can stop Niko. You don't have to stay on this path." Roman easily accepted the bottle and took a gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sat up further on the chair, interested now that Niko might divulge on his time in the war.

"I have one more on the list. Then yes. I will be done. Truly done. I will be able to settle down like you. Maybe start a family of my own." He grew thoughtful and quiet, his eyes casted off back toward the ocean and sunrise. He really was almost done with everyone after him. And the happiness that rested on the other side of the trouble they were in was beckoning him. Kate waited for him, and he would do everything he could to give her a proper life with him. He would stop the killing. He would find constructive work, as she had put it, and make money the honest way.

"And together we will take over LC!" Roman sat up fully on the edge of his seat and took another long drink from the bottle before passing it off to his cousin, "You here that LC! We are coming for you!" Roman shouted out in the large backyard causing Niko to chuckle.

"Yes yes Roman. We will take over the city and rule the world." He shook his head and took another sip, "Now let's go get ready to get you married."

"You know Niko. I think I'm ready. To settle down that is. A family doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Little Roman's and Mallorie's running around. We have the space for them." He laughed and clumsily got up off the chair, "But marriage first. Come I will need help squeezing into the suit vest she has picked out for me."

aaaaaa

"Kate you need to stop pacing. Bernie will be right back. You need to calm down too. If not for yourself then for me!" Mallorie tucked her legs up on the couch and tiredly watched as her friend walked back and forth in the living room of Bernie's apartment. Her hands kept resting just below her belly button as the realization that she was carrying Roman's child kept fluttering around inside her. She would catch herself and try to find something else to occupy her hands with, but they always ended up back on her stomach making soothing movements.

The thought of being pregnant was like a coin constantly being flipped around in her mind. She was elated, excited, and felt such an overabundance of love- but on the other side she was terrified, nervous, and sick. What if she wasn't ready? What if she failed at being a mother? What if Roman didn't want to be a dad? She closed her eyes and fought against the influx of emotions that bombarded her. There was so many scenarios running through her head about how to tell Roman that she hadn't even heard the first shot. Then it sounded like a full blown shootout and reality kicked in. The anxiety of hearing the gunfire had caused her to flinch for the first time in her life. She was used to the sound of guns. Drive by shootings happened all the time where she grew up, and she felt immune to the effects of violence, but hearing it so close and knowing she was responsible for another life caused her to feel scared.

Immediately Kate and Mallorie rushed into the bathroom at Bernie's insistence and were told to stay put till he came back for them. Bernie had rushed to get dressed and closed the bathroom door, before grabbing an assault rifle and rushing out of the apartment toward the shooting. Time seemed to stretch on forever as they sat on the edge of the tub before Kate started her pacing and wringing of her hands. Mallorie had suggested they finish getting ready to give them something else to focus on. She needed her friend to stay calm, otherwise she was going to start panicking along with her. And right now, her body needed to not be stressed out.

"I'm sorry! I just. Ugh!" Kate shook her hands out and moved over to the couch to sit next to her friend. She smoothed the soft fabric of her maroon dress down as she lowered onto the couch. They had a small scare when Mallorie passed out on them, but when she woke, she was all smiles, happy tears, and laughs. They had shared a special moment and embraced. But the moment was abruptly ruined by the sounds of gunfire.

"I'm positive Bernie is fine Kate. The firing hasn't started back up, and the cops will be here any second. If it makes you feel better why don't you call your brother? The one who is a cop? Maybe he knows about the shooting and can give us an idea on what's going on." Mallorie reached out and took Kate's hand hoping to help calm her down. She was surprised she wasn't as freaked out as her, but she blamed the shock of finding out about her pregnancy as a reason for not spiraling down into fear.

"Yes! I'll call Francis. He will make sure someone he trusts comes to stand watch or help out." Kate squeezed her hand back and hurriedly left the living room in search of her new cell phone. She entered the bedroom and pulled the phone from the paper bag that held all of her other clothes and belongings. Quickly she pulled up Francis' number and placed the phone to her ear.

" _Deputy Commissioner McReary."_ She had to smile at how professionally he said his title.

"Frankie?" She bit her lip trying to figure out how to tell him about the shootout, but also to not freak out and have him send the army in.

" _Kate?! Katie is that you! Oh my God. I don't have this number. Did you get a new phone? Is everything okay? Where is Niko?_ " He sounded panicked and rushed, and she could hear someone in the background talking. It sounded like Packie but was too muffled to really be sure.

"I have a new phone and number. But I need your help. Or at least. Someone's help." Her nerves started to fire off again and she resumed her anxious pacing in Bernie's bedroom, trying to ignore the large painting above the bed. She clutched the four leaf clover pendant of her necklace and wished she had just called Niko instead. Even if that meant him breaking almost every traffic law to get to her quickly.

" _What's going on? Where are you? I'll be there as fast as I can."_ She could hear the absolute terror echo in his voice, and she sucked in a shaky breath willing herself to get the words out clearly.

' _Keep it together. You just need someone else to be here in case the worst has happened…'_ "Niko had to leave to pick up Roman. I am safe!" She rushed her sentence as soon as she heard him about to retort about her whereabouts and Niko not being with her, "But I think there is a shootout or something that took place down the hall. Bernie left us in his apartment to figure out what's going on. And I just…" She felt tears spring to her eyes, and she forced them to stop. Now was not the time to cry. Especially after Mallorie had worked her magic to cover up all the marks and bruises. Her hair was also immaculate, and she would do her best to stay put together… Until Niko could get his hands on her.

" _Address. I'll be there in five."_ Francis sounded like he wasn't going to give her a choice and would tear apart the city to come find her. The thought made her smile and she regained some of her resolve. She rubbed at her forehead as a small headache began to form, and closed her eyes wishing that things would just settle down for a day.

"I'll text it to you. And hurry. I don't hear any more shooting, but I just would feel better if you were here." She whispered wishing she didn't feel the need to always have someone around her. She used to enjoy the quiet and alone time she had. But now she almost dreaded being isolated and without someone she knew could protect her. The panic would start to seep into her mind the second she was left alone, but as soon as she was with someone, the panic would retreat to the recesses of her mind.

" _I'm heading out the door and almost in the cruiser Katie. I have Packie protected. Send me the address and just stay hidden till I get there. I'll text when I park outside the building. Stay safe. Be there soon. Promise!_ " Francis ended the call and left Kate standing in Bernie's bedroom feeling more secure than she did a moment ago. But a small thread of doubt began to curl in her stomach. Why hadn't she just called Niko? Her protector? She glanced down at her phone contemplating sending him a text, when she heard what sounded like Bernie's voice joyfully calling out into the apartment.

aaaaaa

Francis flung the door to his police cruiser open and hurriedly climbed into the driver seat. He had rushed in telling Ron he needed to check on Kate and that he report in once his brother showed up to take over his post. He would need to call his cousin Vincent to make sure he took over his duties at the church till he got there. But all that mattered was making sure Kate was safe. He already lost one brother this morning, he was damned sure he wasn't going to lose her.

He buckled the seatbelt and turned the car on, putting it in drive he pulled out of the parking space in the garage. His phone buzzed, and he pulled up Kate's text message. Quickly he typed the address into his onboard computer, waiting for a clear route to appear on the screen. Several messages popped up from dispatch reporting a possible shooting and homicide. Dread filled his body and he peeled out of the parking garage on his way toward Middle Park West.

He pressed the call button on his sterling wheel and waited for the voice command prompt, "Call Special Agent IAA, secure line." He flipped on his cruiser lights and entered his passcode in the monitor to override the traffic lights to give him all greens as he sped up. He was not going to take any chances this morning, and he would not fail in keeping the rest of his family safe.

" _Lead IAA Agent speaking._ " Bernard's voice calmly came over the speakers in his police cruiser, even if it sounded slightly winded.

"I just got a call from Kate saying there was a shooting at Bernie's place. Do you know anything about it?" He kept scanning side streets as he raced down Frankfort Avenue to Quartz Street.

" _No. I have an agent in the building. I'll call to check in with her. Do you need back up?"_ Francis could almost detect a slight tremor in the man's voice. ' _Is he worried like I am?'_

"It's possible. Kate didn't give much info. She said she didn't hear any more gunfire, but with how crazy everything is, I wouldn't put it past people to start up again." Francis neared Quartz and slowed down his vehicle to be able to make the turn at an acceptable speed.

" _It's a government protected building Francis. Do you have units responding? Typically, those calls get routed to FIB Headquarters in Algonquin. I can see who the responding agent is unless you want point?_ " Francis could hear sirens over the call and wondered if he was already at the apartment complex.

"I only have the dispatch call notes. Like you said, our jackets weren't dispatched. An agent name would be nice. Not sure what I'm walking into." He pulled up to the apartment building, turned off his lights, and witnessed several FIB armored cars parking along the sidewalk. A firetruck and ambulance were already on the scene with their lights going and their sirens turned off. Agents were marking off the entrances and exits with caution tape, while the medical team rushed into the building. "By the looks of it, it was a fairly large shootout. Hope your agent wasn't involved."

" _Go to the parking garage entrance at the back of the building, I'll give you my code to get in. Should override the system if FIB has it locked down. FIB will more than likely keep the scene secure from here on out. You won't be allowed in the front entrance. Even with your rank. FIB is notorious for being dicks."_ Bernard suggested.

"Thanks. I'll take the stairs from the garage. Kate said the unit is 4A. I'll keep you posted." Francis pulled around the side of the building in search of the parking garage entrance.

" _Can you check in on unit 14B? My agent should be there. I am-_ " There was a pause and Francis double checked to make sure the call was still connected.

"Don't worry. I will check once I make sure Kate is safe. I know the feeling." Francis pulled up to the iron gates and rolled down his window to enter the gate code, "What's the code?"

" _101060 star. Thank you, Deputy Commissioner. Call in once you have eyes on her._ "

"Will do." Francis typed in the code and ended the call. He watched as the gates slid open silently, and he tightened his hands on the steering wheel. He was probably entering into another blood bath. And he was getting tired of constantly showing up too late to save the people he was supposed to protect in this city. He had somewhat hoped that Manny Escuela and his associates would have rid the population of criminals, and that was how he met Niko. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he pulled through the open gates. There was no use dwelling on past mistakes and opportunities missed.

The parking garage was rather full, and he had to descend a level in order to find a spot. Expensive looking cars lined the spots and he briefly wondered how one of Niko's friends could afford to live in a place like this. He parked in a spot that was away from other vehicles and quickly exited the cruiser. He removed his suit jacket and silently unbuttoned his dress uniform shirt, placed the clothing down on his seat, leaving him in an undershirt. He opened the backdoor and grabbed his bulletproof vest, carefully lifting it up and over his head. He worked steadily to do up the velcro straps and adjusted the heavy vest over his body. He shut the backdoor when he was satisfied that it was on correctly and would provide enough protection.

He leaned back down into his front seat and entered in his combination for the center console. The lid softly clicked open with the right code, and Francis removed his police commissioned sidearm. He rarely used it or carried it with him, but since he gave Packie his other pistol, he would use this as his primary weapon. He pulled the pistol and holster from the compartment and went to work on buckling it to his belt. Once he was satisfied that the holster was in accordance with his dress uniform policy, he put on his dress uniform shirt, tucking it in, and yanked the suit jacket over his body. He closed the door to the cruiser and used his reflection to straighten out all the medals, ribbons, and buttons. Last thing he needed was to be called out by other agencies for being out of code.

A door opened and closed loudly in the garage and he immediately went for his pistol. He ducked down below the profile of his car and checked his surroundings for a possible threat.

"Look I know you want me to star in the show, and you're going to pay me handsomely, or I walk! You hear that!" A young man, with a hot temper stormed out of the stairwell and was marching toward Francis' position. He had short light brown hair tucked into an FIB hat, a jogging outfit graced his toned body, and he was attempting to zip up a lightweight FIB jacket. He removed the phone from his ear and glanced at it before putting it back up to his face, "I'm here doing research. I'll be back in Los Santos by Sunday to start filming the next episode."

Francis cautiously stood up from his hiding place and figured he'd just let the man be. He had on the right designating clothing to let him know they weren't knock offs. He shoved the pistol back into the hip holster and headed off toward the door the man had exited. He kept glancing at the agent who was now starting to scream into the cell phone.

"Yes! The Lost MC! That's who I'm after. They've been on our asses for _years_ and I'm not about to let them just simply disappear. I don't give a fuck if Billy is dead. There is always someone who takes over and I plan to catch wind of who that is. The suspected hideout was burned to the ground. Look I'm on _vacation_ right now checking in with a friend. I'll call when I land back in LS." The man hung up the call and noticed Francis walking toward the stairwell door, dressed in a full dress uniform, higher rank clearly displayed. "Hey! I wouldn't go in! There was some kind of shooting or something."

"And as I am Deputy Commissioner for this city, it is my business to make sure the citizens I represent are safe. Thank you for the heads up." He only glanced over his shoulder as he approached the door. He didn't have time to chitchat with an obnoxious FIB agent who clearly had no idea how to keep his business private.

"I'll head back up with you then. I don't need my fellow agents messing with you." The agent zipped up his jacket and jogged back over to match Francis' stride. "Nice to meet you Deputy Commissioner...?"

"Francis McReary. And you are?" Francis slowed only enough to make sure the man caught up with him. He opened the door using the IAA agent's code and held it open for the agent to enter first. He wasn't exactly excited to have a tag along agent, but he might be able to keep the rest of the FIB from bothering him. His glare only hardened the longer it took for the FIB agent to answer him.

"Steve Haines. Special Lead Agent Steve Haines, FIB, out of the Los Santos office. You might have heard about me!" He stretched his legs using the first couple of stairs and turned to nod at the Deputy Commissioner once the introductions were out of the way. He took a longer glance at the stars on the shoulder boards, as well as the fancy golden cords looped over the shoulder. Jealousy bloomed to life briefly across his face before he controlled it.

"I don't normally associate with FIB. We all tend to stick to ourselves here in LC. Not sure how you work over in Los Santos." He returned the nod and started to climb the stairs, now sorely wishing the man would shut up. He had an annoying voice and it reminded him of the steroid junkies down in Dukes. He was much too hyped to be entering in a shootout in only a jogging outfit and jacket.

"I have my own TV show. It's called 'The Underbelly of Paradise'. I don't know if it's airing here yet or not. I'm trying to convince the local broadcaster here to pick it up. Great show." He ran up a couple of steps ahead of Francis only to turn back and bounce in place while he waited for him to catch up.

"Is that so?" Francis hummed out and glanced at the wall plaque showing he had only reached the ground level garage. He rolled his eyes once Steve looked away. "I thought you were here to find info on The Lost?" This caused the agent to falter in his bouncing around.

"So, you heard my phone call? Yeah, I'm after them. Well FIB is. Doesn't matter. You got anything to share?" He crossed his arms and took on a more professional tone, having the Deputy Commissioner's words catch his attention. If he could get some good intel from the police force, he might be able to chase down more leads, and return to Los Santos faster.

"Not really. They are more of a concern for FIB." Francis kept his pace steady as he worked up toward the fifth floor. He needed to lose the hyper agent before getting to Kate. He was distracting him from his mission.

"True. Anyway! About my show- I showcase how I singlehandedly take down the scum and crime in Los Santos. It's got amazing production value and it lets the people know their federal agents are working hard to keep them safe! One dirtbag at a time." He fell in step with Francis and felt a renewed excitement at getting to let someone know about his TV show.

"There was someone here in Liberty doing something similar." Francis glanced at Steve from the corner of his eye as they rounded another set of stairs.

"Oh yeah? I didn't know that. What's the show called?" Steve grew quiet at his words, not liking someone cutting into his territory.

"It's not a show anymore. Never made it very far." He sighed and looked at the wall for how much further he had to climb, wishing that their conversation would just end. It was making him more and more uncomfortable with where it was leading.

"What happened? Poor ratings? Not a good lead?" He was beyond curious now as to why a show like his didn't take off in Liberty City.

"One of the so called sum bags killed him on camera. It's in evidence on an ongoing case against said drug lord. Guess you could say the underbelly strikes back when pushed far enough." Francis stopped when he noticed that Steve was no longer following him. He could see a far off look on his face as if he had said something that had never occurred to him before. His skin was somewhat paler, but nothing to the point of being concerned. "Then again, he wasn't in law enforcement. Just a good doer citizen trying to clean up the streets." He grimaced with the thought of Manny and how he had been shot in cold blood while confronting Elizabeta. The footage had been rather grisly, and when he noticed Niko in the background, he immediately destroyed the tape, replacing it with a blank one in evidence. That was one loose end he was able to handle on his own.

"Huh. Aren't we all? I just remembered why I was heading to my car. If anyone asks why you got through the blockade, just tell them Agent Haines sent you. They should recognize the name. See you around Deputy Comish." Steve gave a two finger salute and jogged back down the steps to the parking garage.

Francis watched him till he was no longer in view before turning to head up the next flight of stairs. The whole encounter felt off to him and he forced the feelings to the side. There would be time to figure out who Steve Haines was later and why he was doing research on The Lost MC. He reached the landing for the fifth floor and typed in the code to get into the hallway. The door dinged when it took the code. He jerked the door open and realized he was at the end of the building where the shootout must have happened. Agents walked back and forth on the phone, while other's forced the residents back into their units. It was utter chaos.

He sighed heavily and edged his way into the madness. He unclipped his badge from the front of his shirt and lifted it above his head. He brought his other hand to his mouth and whistled as loud as he could manage. Everyone jumped and looked around wildly, some of the agents went for their guns. He fought not to smile at the rather comical look some of them were sporting, "I am Deputy Commissioner Francis, here on official business. Who is in charge here?" He watched as each agent glanced between themselves before looking back toward the apartment door that was open.

"Francis?" A small timid voice reached his ears and he turned to see Karen exit the unit wearing an oversized dress shirt and slacks. The shirt had a few drops of blood on it and he panicked briefly at the sight of it. She was pale and looked rather unkept, as if she had been in the said firefight.

"Your boss sent me. Everything okay?" He didn't want to waste any more time and needed to set his sights on Kate soon.

"You aren't in your jurisdiction here. This is a federal investigation." A lead agent spoke up from the group that stood outside the apartment unit.

"Fuck off. This is my city, my town, and this concerns my family. I can very well stick my nose where I damn well please. Agent Daniels report to your boss immediately. I'm going to go check on my sister." He gave her a rather hard look, while also checking for injuries, before turning on his heel and marching away. He clearly knew that the shooting had taken place down the hall from where his sister was at, and he desperately needed to know that she was unharmed. The door Karen had emerged from had 14B on the plaque, and he put two and two together rapidly from the brief conversation he had with the IAA agent on the way over.

"Francis, wait!" Karen shouted before moving back into the unit to grab her weapon, then hobbled down the hall after him, pushing agents off of her as they attempted to keep her at the scene of the crime.

Francis ignored her plea and kept up a steady, hurried pace down the hall toward unit 4A. He needed to see her and silently prayed he wouldn't have to be the one to tell her about Gerry's death. Having to tell Packie was hard enough, but his sister too? He wasn't sure he would be strong enough to do it. He rounded a corner where the main elevators were and pushed his way through the other group of agents who were loading boxes into the open elevator lift.

"Someone stop her! She's the main suspect!" Someone yelled out from further down the hall behind him, and he turned in time to see Karen shove the long edge of the barrel of her pistol into someone's throat as they attempted to grab her. He stopped in his tracks as another agent attempted to handcuff her.

"Let her go this instant or I will have IAA take all your badges. Steve Haines sent me up here to make sure you left her alone, while he gets in touch with his bosses back in Los Santos." He figured name dropping was going to be the only way to get through to them. Karen looked almost frantic in her attempts to get free and she turned grateful eyes his direction. He drew his own pistol and pointed it toward the agents, "And I will make sure FIB powers that be here in LC know how you harassed an injured female!"

Collectively all the agents backed away from Karen and lifted their hands up in surrender. Karen removed the open handcuff from her wrist and dropped it to the ground. She looked back toward Francis to see him moving back down the hall to where she knew Kate was… and where Gerry was currently hiding out. "Francis! Wait! I need to talk to you!" She forced her body to move as fast as she could to try and catch him before he walked into the surprise of his life.

"Not now Karen." Francis hissed out as he noticed he was getting closer to the unit. He pulled his phone out and went to text his sister letting her know he was there and would be entering the unit shortly. He holstered his weapon to free his hands in order to type the message out quickly.

"This is important! You don't understand." She closed the distance rapidly as he had slowed down to be able to type out a message on his phone. She reached for his arm to be able to pull him around to face her.

"I said not now!" He yanked her hand from his arm and jerked her around to be in front of him, firming his hold on her lower arm. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and caught her other hand as she went to press her own pistol to his chest.

"Francis you listen to me now. I don't think you need to open that door." She renewed her efforts to break his hold, but her body was exhausted, and she merely only shook in his grasp. Her body trembled with being on her feet and her leg was alight with a burning pain. She swallowed thickly and forced the tears down.

"You have no say what I do or don't do. For all I know you murdered someone down the hall and should be in handcuffs right now. How much trouble am I going to find myself in for getting those agents to set you free?" He was furious now that he realized what he had just done. He had threatened federal agents, while in a federally protected building, while possibly helping a murder suspect get free.

He saw her fingers move on the pistol to release the safety. He shifted his hold and dislodged the magazine. It clattered to the floor and he kicked it away toward the wall. She used his distraction to kick his knee out to the side and jerked her hands and pistol free from his grip. She ducked away from his attempt to get ahold of her once more and stumbled backward toward Bernie's door, accidentally thumping her hand that held the pistol against it as she tried to right herself. Her legs shook beneath her, causing her to brace against the wall next to the door, and she willed herself to keep her strength up for just a little bit longer. "Francis _please_! Just listen to me-"

Francis cupped her neck with his free hand and jerked her away from the wall and backed her into the opposite wall from the door with more force than was necessary. She cried out at the impact, completely dropping her defenses and pistol. He forced his gun against her cheek and held her still. He searched her eyes for any sign of betrayal, lies, or deceit. He had picked up bits and pieces from talking to Kate while Packie was recovering, and he did not like this woman one bit. She had attempted to harm his sister with her words. And from what he could tell, had somewhat hurt Niko, and possibly tried to come between his sister and Niko's relationship.

"You have exactly five seconds to explain to me what the fuck is going on, or the last thing you will hear is my gun going off." Francis felt cold and stiff looking into the slightly frightened eyes of the IAA agent. He wasn't sure why he was reacting so violently, but he couldn't stop himself as he firmed his hand on her neck. The morning news and events were catching up to him and he was about ready to just snap and let it all out.

"And the last thing you will ever know, will be darkness as I put a bullet into the back of your head, _brother_."

' _That voice! It can’t be…'_ His eyes widened when the voice registered in his brain, and his world stopped.

Everything was suddenly stripped away from him. He hesitantly released Karen from his grasp and backed up to give her some space. His hands shook, his legs quaked, and his heart thundered away in his chest. He could see Karen had darted her eyes to someone who stood behind him and she had a weird mix of emotions splayed across her face. His fingers lost their grip on his pistol and it clattered to the floor. He realized he was heaving in large gulps of air and was close to having a complete breakdown. ' _It just can't be. He's dead… I saw on the news…'_ He trembled from head to toe as he turned to lock eyes with his younger brother who he had assumed was dead.

"Hey Francis. Long time no see." Gerry smirked at his older brother as he casually leaned into the open doorway of Bernie's apartment, an assault rifle was slung over his shoulder and rested against his hip.

He stood so nonchalantly that it almost made Francis believe he was seeing things. He blinked several times as he tried to register that his brother was standing there in front of him. Wild red hair, piercing green eyes, smirk firmly in place- there was no mistaking the leader of the McReary Mob Family. He suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy. He placed a hand against his chest as his heartrate skyrocketed.

Carefully, he managed to form his brother's name, "Gerry?"

aaaaaa

"Shit. Shit. _Shit!_ " Bernard cursed rapidly as he hauled himself into the driver seat of his SUV. LCPD had arrived on the scene and was in the middle of taking his statement when Francis called him. He was not prepared to be told that his agent, their _secret_ , and his apartment was going to be involved in a shooting. His thoughts were running wild with the possibility that Karen had gone off the deep end and had killed Gerry. Or that Gerry decided to leave, and it descended into a full blown gunfight. And then to top it all off Francis was about to walk into the surprise of his life if everyone was still alive. ‘ _Fuck!’_

He pulled his cell phone up to his face and scrolled through his contacts before landing on Karen's name. He pressed the call button and waited as it continuously rang. He hung up and re-dialed the number. This whole morning was going to shit quicker than he liked, and he usually was a fan of chaos and trouble- just not this kind of trouble. He chucked the phone down into the passenger seat and stumbled back out of the SUV as another IAA agent approached the vehicle. His stomach pain was starting to bother him more and it slightly worried him.

"Boss? Orders?" The young agent rushed forward and stood at attention, ready to set off on whatever task was handed to him.

"Clean this mess up. He is a former drug runner for Dimitri's old gang. Just cleaning up loose ends. Then be sure you check in with the ground team at Suffolk Church. I have another agent who was just involved with a shooting in Middle Park West. They were to oversee that operation. You are in charge till I call you to tell you otherwise. Here." Bernard handed over a folded up piece of paper that had the codenames and cell phone numbers of the ground team leads. "You call me the second you get a report in from the ground teams. Understood agent?" Bernard studied the agent before him and tried to rack his brain for his name. He thought he saw the agent in his office the previous night when giving the debrief of Bulgarin's demise.

"Right away boss. My partner will handle the cleanup with LCPD here, and I'll get to checking in with these teams. I'll report in as soon as I get the go ahead code words." He opened the paper and swiftly glanced over the numbers and names, noting the numerous teams in place this morning. "Get going boss. I got this." He saluted his boss before jogging off toward his own armored vehicle in the parking lot.

Bernard watched him go for a second before getting back into his bullet riddled SUV. He pulled his seatbelt around him and put the vehicle into drive. "Fucking nightmare of a morning." He muttered as he maneuvered around all the LCPD cop cars. He pressed the voice command and waited for the prompt, "Call Agent Daniels." The phone rang loudly over the speakers and he twisted the volume knob down as the ringing hurt his ears. His anger was growing steadily the longer she didn't pick up her cell phone, and he masked his fear at the possibility that she was killed in the shootout.

_'What would prompt a shootout at Bernie's place? No one knows of my apartment here in LC, and I made sure the place was heavily secured before I left with Niko. Nothing was out of place. Something horrible must have happened…'_ He studied the busy streets in Hove as the phone continued to ring.

He ended the call and took off toward Beachgate knowing the conversation with Niko wasn't going to be pretty. "Fuck." He swore loudly at the situation he found himself in. "Might as well try Kate. At least that will keep the edge off of Niko…" Bernard turned onto another busy street and dialed Kate's new number, hoping beyond all hope, that she picked up. The only sound that filled the car was the constant ringing of an unanswered call. His nerves were starting to freeze the longer he was left without answers. He thrived on knowledge and being in the dark wasn't good for his health.

" _This is one goddamn mess…_ " He darkly whispered in Serbian as he stopped at the red light and picked his cell phone back up. He really didn't want to make the next phone call but knew if he showed up at Roman's place with zero answers, he was as good as dead. Carefully he pulled up his own bosses number and pressed the call button. He glanced to the light and the other cars around him, noticing the stares from other drivers and pedestrians on the sidewalk. The SUV must be quite the sight with all the cracked glass and bullet holes.

" _I was wondering how long it would take before you called."_ His bosses voice came over the speakers; Clam, cool, and collected as ever, with just the slightest edge to the words.

"I wasn't going to, honestly. But things are-" Bernard started.

" _Fucked? That the term you looking for? I appointed you this position due to your skill and perseverance. And this is the shitshow I get in return?"_ Anger resonated in the voice.

"I apologize," Bernard gulped and forced his own anxiety down with the tone his boss took, "Target location is still unknown and there are too many players active to know the next move accurately. I have no favors to call in with FIB. Could really use one." He looked around the street one more time before accelerating once the light turned green. Beachgate's security check in arch was in sight and for once he was grateful to be close to the rather notorious neighborhood.

" _I see your typical cash cow is dead. Jon Gravelli. So, you_ must _be desperate to call me. Tell me, how far into the rabbit hole must I go in order to save this mess?"_ His boss mused, his voice grating against Bernard's ears.

"Not far. I need a FIB favor. There was a shooting at my safehouse. A talented agent was present, and I am unable to get ahold of her and her target." Bernard turned on Shinnecock Ave and pulled up alongside a brick home in order to finish the call before approaching Roman's house. He parked the SUV and turned the volume down so the voice wouldn't carry to the outside of the vehicle.

" _You mean to tell me you are throwing away this favor to check up on an agent?"_ There was a delighted amusement that carried with the voice, and Bernard winced at it. He didn't want to throw away this favor, but he needed to know the fate of his agent, Gerry, Kate, Bernie, and Mallorie. Niko would surely kill him if any of them were dead or injured.

"It is important to everything else going on." He clipped his words trying to keep some things silent about what was happening. He had managed to keep everything under the table from his boss, but this was starting to border on breaking the laws of the agency he swore his life to. His fingers tightened their hold of the steering wheel as anger began to simmer in his blood.

" _As I know most of everything, I can tell you that FIB responded to a shooting. One of your agents is dead. But it has also been brought to my attention that a certain Deputy Commissioner has threatened the FIB in his search for his sister. Dealing with the McReary's again are we?"_

"You could say that. I'm closing some loopholes and cutting off the frayed ends. I'll have my full report to you by the end of the weekend." He scrubbed a hand over his eyes with the news. He didn't want to believe that Karen was dead. But that was the only agent he knew of in the building. He would need to try Kate's cell one more time before facing Niko.

" _You best do that. I have another assignment in LS that needs your attention. Namely an agent in the FIB. Some other shitshow in Ludendorff, North Yankton or someplace around there has caught my attention. Call me Sunday night. Oh, and why don't you bother your other contact next time you need a favor? A real favor. This was a waste of my time._ " The line went dead, and all Bernard could do was let out a long suffering sigh, dropping his head back against the headrest.

"Yeah okay sure. Let me just call him on speed dial. Fucking asshole." Bernard sarcastically snarked out as he put the vehicle back into drive and drove off toward Roman's house. "Call Deputy Commissioner McReary." He used the hands free button to dial the only other person he knew to be alive in the building.

" _I don't have much to say to you right now. Your agent is fine, but you're about to be dead next time I see you."_ Francis ended the call abruptly. He could hear how badly his voice wavered and could only come to one conclusion- Gerry had been discovered. Bernard pulled up into Roman's driveway, seeing the motorcycle parked up against the garage door.

"If she is alive, then who?" He mused aloud, turning the SUV off and clambering out of the driver's seat. He opened the backdoor and grabbed Niko's suit bag, the discarded rifle, and maneuvered the rocket launcher between the two captain chairs to keep it somewhat out of sight. The vehicle was a mess and would look utterly ridiculous pulling up to the nicest church in all of Liberty, but he would not chance their travel with an unarmored car.

"What took you so long? Lose your way?" Niko spoke from the front porch. He casually leaned against the wooden doorframe, two cups of coffee in his hands, giving off a rather calm demeaner, even with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"The typical bullshit. What else?" Bernard called out, kicking the backdoor shut. He slung the rifle strap over his shoulder to free up his arms, and shifted the suit bag to his less dominate arm, "Have you heard from Kate yet?" He kept his eyes trained on everything but his new comrade. He was trying to think of a way to get him to check in on Kate without it being weirdly suspicious.

"I have not. Should I have?" Niko's voice was lofty, but Bernard could hear the unasked questions that Niko was sending his way. They were getting better at somewhat trusting one another, and Bernard did not want to destroy that level of friendship between them. Especially now that they had fallen into an easier routine and could read the other better.

"No. But. Um. With a new phone I figured she'd be texting you like crazy. Not like she is paying the bill for it. Thank our lovely taxpayers." He attempted a smile and laugh, but it only came off sounding forced, "Let's get inside." Bernard approached cautiously, finally glancing to Niko's face to see how his features began to harden.

"Here." Niko held out one of the full cups of coffee, not moving from his relaxed position. He studied how haggard Bernard looked and wondered what took place at the beach in the time it took for him to get to Roman's and get his cousin ready. Something was nagging at him and he tried his best to ignore it.

"Poison?" Bernard half joked, taking the cup from Niko's grasp, and lifting it to his lips. He took an exaggerated sniff as if he could smell something amiss.

"Only if you consider a shot of whiskey to be poisonous?" He lifted his eyebrow at the jab not really in the mood to joke now that he was beginning to worry about his girlfriend and his friends. It also brought up unpleasant thoughts of Packie being poisoned and hospitalized because of Natalya’s hatred of him.

"You spike it?" He lowered the cup and gave him a serious look. He was on the clock and not wanting to be even the slightest bit inebriated. It would take every ounce of awareness to keep him alive today, and he would not fail in keeping everyone else alive as well.

"No. But if Roman made it, it would be a cup of whiskey with a shot of coffee in it. Suit?" Niko held his hand out to take his suit from him. They had a few minutes before they needed to head out. And he planned on using that time to call Kate and check in. The voice in his head was starting to be more persistent that he call her. Bernard was giving him a weird vibe and he didn't like it one bit.

"Interesting choice in drink." He easily handed over the suit, "You want your rifle too?" He gestured to the assault rifle that was hanging from his shoulder, before taking a sip from the cup of coffee. There was no bite of alcohol in the liquid and he was thankful for it. The warmth immediately spread out in his body and he felt like he could take a deep breath for once.

"When we leave. Roman is in the kitchen. Can you keep an eye on him? He doesn't need to get drunk." Niko moved inside the house, held the door open with his foot and took another sip from his new cup of coffee.

"I can handle that. I have a couple of phone calls to make, but I'll keep him in my sights." Bernard nodded his thanks and entered the quaint home. He took in his surroundings, checking for blind spots, places that would make good cover, counted the windows and doors as he made his way into the kitchen. He carried out his usual routine when he entered a new place and he caught Niko's smirk as they found Roman sitting at the bar in the kitchen, gulping down another mug of coffee.

" _Front, back, and one side door. The windows are locked and there is a security alarm beep for them. My cousin doesn't have any guns in the home. What you have on you is it."_ Niko paused at the foot of the stairs and tilted his head to the side slightly to study the IAA agent. He recognized the way he had scoped out the place and offered what he knew in order to ease Bernard's mind. He did the same thing every time he went out and into a new place. Having an exit strategy was a must with his line of work.

" _Thanks. Get ready. I will want to head out soon."_ Bernard regarded him wearily, thankful that Niko hadn't blown up at him yet asking a million questions about Kate. "Hello Roman. Big day huh?" He turned away from Niko and took a stool at the bar with his cousin, hoping the light conversation will settle his own unraveling resolve. Things were so carefully balancing on the ledge and all it would take was a soft breeze before it all came crumbling down.

Niko only took one last glance before taking the steps two at a time to head back into the master bedroom to get dressed. He pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and immediately realized he didn't have Kate's new number. His phone buzzed in his hand with a text message from ULP containing her new number and he had to smirk with the way Bernard seemed to be just ahead of his thoughts and movements. They would've made a good team if their life circumstances were different.

Silently he crossed into the large master bedroom and dropped the suit bag down onto the massive king sized bed. He clicked on the number and waited for her to pick up. His number should have been programmed into the new phone, so she should at least know it was him calling. He wandered into the master bath and glanced at his reflection in the mirror, placing his now finished cup of coffee down on the marble countertop. He had shaved and showered while Roman and him waited on Bernard to show, and he couldn't remember the last time he had bothered to clean up his scruff. He looked younger, softer, and more like a man in a relationship, then some crazed killer out for large sums of money.

" _You have reached the voicemail box of Kate McReary. Please leave a message at the tone."_ The automated voice crackled over the phone and Niko ended the call. ' _Odd. Why didn't she pick up?'_ He smoothed over his stumble and tore his gaze away from his reflection. He placed the cell phone down on the counter next to the empty cup and let out a sigh. It wasn't like she would be glued to her phone. She should be getting dressed with Mallorie and laughing it up with Bernie. Possibly learning a few new words to say to him when they were alone. The thought caused him to gently smile. His thoughts were interrupted as a loud buzzing sound filled the bathroom.

The phone continued to vibrate with an incoming call and he immediately answered it, "Kate? Everything okay?" He turned back toward the entrance to the bedroom and leaned back into the counter.

" _I- define okay."_ She sounded hesitant and he could hear several heated male and female voices in the background, " _Hang on."_

Niko's eyebrows furrowed at the sound of her voice. Something must have happened, and he was about ready to march down the stairs and have a _word_ with Bernard. He knew leaving her alone at Bernie's was a risk, a fairly large unnecessary risk, and he was against the idea completely. He patiently waited for her to continue and every second that passed felt like an hour.

" _Okay. So I. Niko, I don't know how to explain this."_ She sounded so unsure, timid, and scared. Things he wished she would never have to feel again.

"Try at the beginning. What's going on. Are you safe?" Niko shoved off the counter and was halfway across the master bedroom before she answered him.

" _I am safe. Francis, Bernie, Mal… your ex-girlfriend is here and..."_ She paused and let out a long sigh, " _And_ Gerry _is here."_

Niko came to a complete stop at the foot of the bed. Why would Karen be there, and how did Gerry get into Bernie's apartment? "Are Francis and Gerry okay?" He wasn't sure what all was said or explained to Kate, or how badly the mini family reunion went with the current circumstances. He knew Francis believed Gerry to be dead and he could almost picture the hostile situation they were in at Bernie's apartment. Francis had a temper, but Gerry was more willing to act on his temperament.

" _Niko I'm not sure. They haven't talked. They are just staring at each other. Mal is on the couch with Bernie. I'm not sure what is going on. There was some kind of shooting."_

"Shooting? In the apartment? Is anyone hurt?" Niko felt a new rage start to form in his chest and he hurried down the hall to the staircase. He was going to demand Bernard tell him everything. ' _He must know something since he casually suggested I call Kate…'_

" _It was down the hall or somewhere in the building. It sounded muffled. Bernie forced us to stay put in his unit and he went to investigate. Next thing I know he comes back into the apartment with my brother."_ He could almost see her pacing back and forth in Bernie's apartment, hands running through her curly hair, eyes closing as she let out a long breath.

"Everything is okay Kate. I am sorry I wasn't there to protect you." He paused at the top of the stairs as the rage gave way to guilt. He had promised her he would not put her in danger, nor leave her alone. He felt like all he kept doing was breaking promises to her.

" _I had- have Bernie. We were safe Niko. I called Francis soon after Bernie left the unit to see what was happening. I was hoping he would know about the shooting. He gets reports from dispatch all the time. I figured if I knew what was going on, I could calm down. I was going to call you next, but Gerry walked into the unit. And well…"_ She let out another shaky breath over the phone and Niko wished he had never left the apartment. He knew she was barely keeping things together as it was, and things just kept getting dumped on her.

"волим те лепото (volim te lepoto)." He whispered out the words as her silence continued on.

" _I love you too. I'm okay. It was just a complete shock. I didn't know how to greet him. I was at home when he was hauled off to prison. I didn't think I'd get to see him again. I should have at least said something."_

"Why don't you go see what's going on? I need to get dressed and get Roman to the church. Call me when you head out?" His hand tightened on his cell phone. ' _I'll get ready once I have a few choice words with Bernard…'_

" _Okay. I'll feel better once I see you again."_ He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I will too. Keep your phone on you. Call if you need anything." He took a steadying breath knowing it would only be a little while longer before he could see her again. But the conversation that was about to take place was going to not be fun. He was swinging back and forth like a pendulum with his emotions. Rage, anger, relief, happiness, back to anger and rage. He just needed to kill Natalya and things could feel normal-ish again. Or at least what everyone told him was normal.

" _Okay Niko. I will see you soon. I can't promise I won't be able to keep my hands to myself."_ He loved it when she teased him. She would poke at him every now and then and it would lift his spirits- if only for a moment.

"We will see who keeps whose hands to themselves." His mind started to shift toward more pleasing thoughts, and he forced himself to focus. They would have time later after the ceremony, or maybe they could sneak off at the reception.

" _A challenge? I like it. I accept. See you soon Mr. Sophisticated European."_ She laughed lightly before ending the call. He remembered the day she had answered the door and was in a rather giddy mood. She had reached out and kissed his cheek. He thought they were going to be able to continue their conversation, or at least allow him to comment on it, but her mother interrupted them. It was a bittersweet memory for so many reasons. Things had rapidly changed since that day.

He shook his head and schooled his features, Bernard had some explaining to do.

aaaaaa

"Uh guys. We should probably discuss how we are going to get to the church. We have about thirty minutes before we are supposed to be there." Bernie quietly stated from his rather protective spot next to Mallorie. He had kept the assault rifle with him once he entered his apartment and had it resting across his lap. It may look like a relaxed position to be in, but he was more than ready to snap into action.

"Bernie is right. We need to come up with a plan quickly." Karen was slowly losing the battle to stay upright and was leaning heavily against the closed front door. She had reassembled her pistol and was holding on to it as if her life depended on it. She wasn't sure how badly things were about to turn, and she still had a job to accomplish this morning.

"You stay out of this!" Francis glared over to her before turning his attention back to his brother. Karen had all but shoved them into this apartment quickly once the initial shock wore off of seeing Gerry again. She had mumbled something about a mission or job but kept quiet once she shut and locked the door, leaving him to face Gerry alone.

"Leave her alone. You have her to thank for my ass still being alive!" Gerry coldly spoke. He was facing the front door with Francis and Karen both within his line of sight. He swept the room with his eyes making sure Bernie and the other female hadn't moved from their spot. Kate had disappeared into a room down the hall and he wondered if she was okay. They hadn't spoken a word to each other when he entered the apartment, and he regretted not saying hello at least. They had just stared at one another not giving the other any ground to speak on. His mind had conjured so many things to say, but nothing felt good enough to voice.

"Oh so I should thank some crazy IAA agent for breaking you out of prison?" He could barely figure out how to feel. He wanted to break down in joy for seeing not only his sister alive and well, but for having his brother returned to him. He was starting to feel hysterical with everything that kept happening in his life. It was difficult keeping his family out of trouble, and now it was proving to be more dangerous to keep them all alive. If he had it his way, he would keep them all under one roof and never let them leave.

"Drop it Francis. Now is not the time." Karen thumped her head back into the wooden door and tried to take a full breath. Every few seconds her leg would burn brightly before going back to the numbing throb it had been doing since Bernie patched her up.

"I said stay out of this! This is a family matter right now." He jabbed his pointer finger her direction, raising his voice slightly, getting annoyed at having her present at the most pivotal moment in his life. So many things needed to be said and shared, and he didn't feel comfortable having the federal agent listening in- even if she looked ready to pass out on them.

"For once I agree with Frankie." Kate stated as she emerged from the hallway, cell phone in hand. She trained her eyes on Gerry and tried to gain the strength to say what she always wanted to tell him. She loved all her brothers, but it was frowned upon to speak on those emotions. So much was kept bottled up inside and if she didn’t get the chance soon to release some of the pressure, she was going to burst, and she was unsure on what that would look like. Francis shifted on his feet and nodded to her to let her know it would be okay.

"Gerry. I… I don't know where to start." She focused on one of her older brothers taking in his full appearance for the first time since seeing him walk into the apartment. He had on nicely pressed dress clothes; ones that resembled the color scheme Karen wore. He hadn’t shaved in what appeared to be a long time, but he was more built than the last time she saw him. ‘ _Probably all the spare time to work out now…’_

His eyes were still the same ones she knew so well. Everyone else always commented on how cold they were, but she knew better. He held a wealth of love inside and only allowed a select few to see it. She was one of the lucky ones. They had been close at one point in time and drifted apart as they all grew up. He took the darker path, while she stayed in neutral territory. And on the few occasions where it was just them left at the house, they would enjoy drinking whiskey from Pa’s stash and watching movies on the television. It wasn’t till he started being careless in hiding what he did outside of the house, that she pulled away. He would carry guns around the house as if it was no big deal and that freaked her out to no end.

She involuntarily flinched when she saw him armed with a rifle of some kind. The strap was haphazardly thrown over his shoulder and having been around Niko long enough should have prepared her for the sight of it. But this was _Gerry_! Who should still be serving a very long sentence for Lord knows what kind of crimes. And it was eating away at her the longer they stood staring at one another as if discovering a long lost relative. 

"Katie-bear. Look. Everything is very complicated right now." Gerry lowered his voice and softened his features. He slowly lifted the rifle strap off his body to show he wasn't a threat to her. He loved his sister and would do anything for her. He had killed for her, beaten people to a pulp for her, and kept her from seeing the darkness that was their family affairs. He always held a soft spot for his little sister and refused to let anyone harm her. High school had been rough, but they had made it through. As they got older, she started to berate him for the path he chose. The preaching and saintly talk shoved him away from her. He knew what had to be done in order to keep his family safe, the mob afloat, and the rest of the city from encroaching on their diminished territory. He prayed she wouldn't start a verbal bashing now. She was known to strip him down with her words over his life choices, and he wasn’t in the mood.

"You don't say." Kate mumbled and hesitantly walked closer to Gerry, "How much do you know? Should I even be surprised if you know everything?" She absently rubbed at one of her wrists, thankful for the makeup Mallorie had applied to her. She at least looked like she hadn't been brutally attacked. The tiny voice in the back of her head warned her about letting him know about the bruises. They were all on edge and she didn’t need her brother going off the rails like Francis had back at their Ma’s place.

"I know enough. More than I wished. I'm so sorry Katie." He dropped the rifle to the ground and held out his arms for her. This was _his_ little sister standing before him. The one who was violently attacked by some depraved men. There wasn’t a single bruise or mark on her, but he knew better. She was wearing makeup, and she never did before now. And he could guess why she was using it- to hide behind it. To shield herself from the judgmental lens of the world. His heart broke all over again for her. His stomach knotted up as she continued to stand there before him unmoving.

She couldn't wait another second longer before collapsing into his hug. He always gave the best hugs and she sighed when he picked her up in a heavy bear hug. His arms were strong, secure, and violent in nature, but to her they were nothing but the safe space of her older brother. Her eyes closed and she snuggled into his embrace glad to be able to do this once more. They hadn't been very close the last year or so and she would be thankful for the few moments she was graced with now. He didn’t ask questions, didn’t need the details, but knew that she needed his comfort, and for that reason, she would let everything else go for now.

"Katie, Gerry- I am happy you two are okay." Francis spoke up from his place in the living room. If his sister were willing to set everything aside for the moment, he would too. This was his family and he would do good on the words he had given Packie at the hospital.

"Oh Frankie!" Kate maneuvered out of Gerry's hold and pulled her other brother in for a hug. "Thank you for coming to check in on me. There is just so much going on, and right now I am just overjoyed that we can see each other. How is Packie this morning?" She leaned out of the tight hug Francis had returned, but still didn't move completely out of his arms. Gerry moved closer to them and placed his hand on her shoulder in silent support.

He reached up and softly caressed his knuckle over where he knew the bruise rested on her cheek, "He will be better once he knows Gerry is alive. The news was reporting him dead this morning. I am just shocked to see him standing here in this random apartment building. After everything that's taken place, I was devastated to think we had lost another member of our family." He looked up from her eyes to lock on to his brother's gaze. It was mostly true. He was getting more chances than he deserved to make things right.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." He smirked and shook his head. They would have time later to settle their differences and possibly discuss hardships between them. He was looking forward to having a large homecooked family meal with all of them at the house and press the reset button on their pasts. They had too many close calls lately to not find time for each other.

"That’s true. But more people are going to try to get rid of everyone in this room soon. Bernie do you know the route my boss suggested you take to the church? I am thinking we abandon that plan." Karen closed her eyes and tried to find the inner strength to keep her more bitter remarks to herself. She would try for Gerry's sake to be civil and keep the peace while she figured out a way to get ahold of her boss and the ground teams. Her phone had been damaged in the firefight and the monitors and radio had also been shot to hell. Her only way to reach the ground teams was via the established radio communications. ' _I need to check in with them now… Something is going on and they had reached out before Johnson showed up…'_

"It gives us the most protection from possible threats from above. It was also advised that we avoid major roadways as it would be easier to be ambushed." Bernie glanced between all the people in his apartment unit. He had his arm slung around Mallorie's shoulders, trying to comfort her. She had gone completely silent and internal and he was getting borderline worried about her.

"Yeah I would avoid a direct route. Even with the increased police presence in Suffolk, I would feel better if we took a backway in. I have my jackets on street patrol in their finest, and I was told IAA would be doing their own surveillance." Francis tucked a loose curl behind Kate's ear before looking toward Karen. He would put everything aside for the time being. They had a mission to complete.

"Okay. Okay. Wait just a damn minute here- HOLD UP!" Mallorie shoved off the couch and started to pace between the McReary family, "This is my wedding. Roman and I's special day. What the actual fuck is going on?!" She let out a couple of heated breaths, searching everyone's eyes trying to figure out what they were talking about. _'Safe routes to the church, avoiding threats from above, plans?! What in the world is happening?'_

"Mal. There are some very dangerous people out there wanting to kill Niko and everyone that he holds dear." Bernie stood up and approached her slowly, arms out as a show of no aggression, "And unfortunately that means everyone in this room is in danger."

"No! No no no. This can NOT be happening today." A hand flew to her mouth and the other went to rest over the life growing inside her.

Kate moved out from Francis’ arms and pulled her into a fierce hug, "Come on. Let's go into the other room for a minute. Make sure we are ready for the ceremony. Let the others handle this for a second. Okay?" She sent a glare to both of her brothers hoping they caught the underlying message she was sending them. Mallorie was not to be stressed out any further in her condition and they were NOT allowed to comment on it.

"Yes! I will stay here for a minute, then come make sure your hair is perfection love!" Bernie nodded toward the two females and motioned for them to go use his bedroom for a quiet moment. He would figure out what to do with their new situation and perhaps get Niko on the phone. Their plans had rapidly changed on them and he wasn’t sure how to pull this off.

"Come on. Everything is going to be okay." Kate ushered her friend back into the bedroom, hoping that things would be more planned out once they returned to the living room. She would use these next few minutes to calm Mallorie back down and get her excited again for the upcoming ceremony.

"I say we take the more direct route. Francis has everyone out on the streets. The bitch will be thinking we'd be trying to stay hidden." Gerry watched as his sister comforted the other young lady into the hallway and disappeared in another room. He had to admit he was impressed with the way she was carrying herself and controlling the situation she found herself in.

"Interesting choice. But I like it. She would be anticipating our moves." Karen hobbled over and collapsed down on the loveseat needing to be off her feet, planting her face into one of the throw pillows. Her body was screaming at her for a break and her mind was running a million miles a second. ‘ _Too much with little to no time.’_

"Who?" Francis asked, keeping his distance from everyone, still unsure of what was actually going on. He folded his arms across his chest and shifted his weight from foot to foot. He glanced to Gerry when Karen flopped down on the couch, only to get a shrug in response. He was clearly missing something, and he removed his hat to run his fingers through his thick hair.

"Dimitri's cousin, Natalya Rascalov. She's the one who is behind all the attacks right now. We believe she is the one who sent the poisoned bottle of champagne and your forged note to Niko's apartment. Dimitri has wanted to eliminate Niko for a long time, and once Niko killed Natalya's lover, Lenny Petrovic, and now cousin in Dimitri, she has her eyes set on killing everything he loves and then him." Karen twisted around to her back on the couch and flung her arm over her eyes. ' _God I am tired…'_

"Why haven't we been notified of this? We could get her picture out to my units, have her brought in. Or is this some kind of big flashy task force that's disregarding the safety of the citizens in Liberty because someone needs a promotion?" Francis turned slightly red in the face with his renewed anger. He hated when LCPD was kept out of the loop when it came to FIB and IAA affairs. He knew of Dimitri and the hatred he held for Niko long before things went completely sideways. He was aware of Niko killing Mikhail Faustin. But he was unaware of Dimitri having a cousin in the city who was now on a revenge mission of her own.

"Pretty sure this is all new information. Niko more than likely doesn't know of her." Bernie pipped in. He may not know much of what was going on, but he knew who Dimitri was and why Niko felt the need to kill him. ' _And good riddance. He wanted to expose Bryce and my relationship…'_

"My boss probably told him on their way to go get Roman. Speaking of. Can I borrow someone's phone? I need to check in with him and figure out how to contact the ground teams at the church. Also! We need to figure out how to get us all there without it being beyond obvious." Karen lifted up her phone and removed her sim card, she would be able to switch it out on someone else's phone in order to make a couple of calls before getting her own replacement.

"I can take the ladies in my cruiser. Gerry should probably stay out of sight. You should be dead." Francis pulled out his own phone and removed his sim card for her to be able to make a couple of calls. He would also need to be reaching out to the Police Chief and let him know of a possible threat level. If Natalya was anything like her cousin, the city was in danger.

"I can help. There is no way I'm going to let some crazy bitch kill our sister!" Gerry sat down in one of the large armchairs. He was going to fight them on this. He had heard what happened to his family while he was behind bars, and he swore on his life that he wouldn't let anything else happen to them. And now he was given the chance to protect them, and people were trying to deny him of it.

"Gerry, we have gone over this. The world believes you are dead. You are safe this way, and our only ace up the sleeve." She glanced to him as she loaded her card into Francis' phone. They had been over this many times before Agent Johnson had interrupted them.

"We need all the extra guns we can get. This is one of the most secured buildings in Middle Park, and yet you were nearly killed in a firefight." Bernie added leaning over the back of the couch to look at her. He was going to side with Gerry on this one. The more people they had active and able to defend them, the better.

"I think we are all missing the point here." Francis said getting more agitated the longer they dragged out their conversation, "Kate is very well protected at the moment. But what about Niko? He's out God knows where while we are all in this apartment discussing the finer details of a plan gone to shit. Not to mention, we are all going to be in one single location- the church."

aaaaaa

"Wow cousin! Look at you in those fancy clothes. Trying to upstage the groom on his wedding day?" Roman smiled when his cousin reentered the kitchen after having a rather quick and intense discussion that he could barely keep up with in Serbian to the mysterious man that currently sat hunched over a second cup of coffee on the barstool. They had gone at each other in rather heated tones, speaking faster than Roman could translate or understand, then Niko had stormed back off up the stairs. The man in his kitchen had explained he had been the one to convince Niko to come pick him up and was why he was rather on edge. Roman had let him assume he dropped the subject, but he had heard specific words about a shooting and putting loved ones in danger.

"Never cousin! This is your day!" Niko pushed a button through the loophole of his suit jacket and glanced up to meet his cousin's eyes. He had rushed in getting dressed once he knew someone had been killed at the apartment complex and Bernard wasn't sure if there would be more. He had little information as it was, and Karen wasn't answering her cell phone. Bernard looked over his shoulder to him and gave a simple nod in return.

"Well you do make those snobby salesmen look like garbage. Very refined indeed!" Roman slid off the stool he was using and walked over to his cousin to place a hand on either of his shoulders, "Your brother would have been proud to see you now." He softened his voice with the mention of Niko's brother. They had all been extremely close growing up, and Roman regretted not getting to see him once he left for America. They had such a close bond with one another and he sorely missed having that connection.

" _I miss him too…_ You probably would have picked him as your best man." Niko attempted to smile with his words, lowering his eyes to the floor to study the grain of the hardwood. If there was one thing he wished would never be brought up, was the topic of his deceased brother. As the silence dragged on he glanced up to his cousin to the affronted look Roman gave him.

"NB I swear! Let's get going, shall we? I am tired of waiting to make that beautiful woman my wife!" Roman patted Niko's shoulders roughly before walking over toward the front door. He was upset that Niko would think he would choose his brother over him as the best man. The sadness was not lost to him when he had seen Niko speak of his brother, and he would drop the conversation all together for now and try to move past his own guilt and anger. They never spoke about his passing, and he would remember to not bring him up anymore. He turned to look at the other two people in his home and waved his hands, "Well? Come on already!"

"You will have to forgive the mode of transportation. It's a little rough around the edges." Bernard took the last gulp from his cup of coffee and rose to his feet, following after Roman. He only briefly glanced toward Niko, not wanting to anger him more by offering his condolences for his loss. And he really didn’t want to have another one sided conversation.

"A little? Try a lot." Niko muttered, picking up his rifle from the end of a couch in the living room. He didn't bother to loop the strap over his shoulder as he would just be removing it once he got into the vehicle. He shoved the thoughts of his brother to the recesses of his mind and refocused on the day ahead. Silently the three of them emerged back into the sunny and chilly morning air. The neighborhood was a touch noisier than it had been earlier, likely due to all the commotion down on the beach. But the SUV was as they had left it. Bullet holes punctured the sides of the black exterior, leaving silver frayed marks of the chipped off paint. The driver side windows, and some of the windshield was fractured, and the back windshield looked ready to crumble apart.

"The fuck is this! The actual fuck happened to you two?" Roman gaped at the state of the SUV and had to force himself to look over to his cousin and his friend. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he tried to form a coherent thought.

"We were attacked on our way over. The person has been delt with. There is a garage not far from here where we can swap out the vehicle for another one. But I would feel safer if we took this one over to the church. As you can see it can withstand bullets." Bernard gestured to the amount of damage inflicted on the body of the SUV. He had to wince at the slightly panicked groan Roman let out.

"Niko you swore to me there would not be a bloody wedding. How do I know we aren't going to be shot at on our way to the church where my fiancé is waiting for me?" He was getting manic the longer he spoke, and he turned abruptly away from them and headed over to the fence line that bordered the street. His hands fisted tightly as he dropped them to the top of the wooden fence. This was not how he imaged this day starting out.

Bernard's phone began to ring loudly and sighed, "Go calm him down, then we need to head out." He pulled his phone from his pocket and answered the call, turning to go walk a short distance away for some privacy, and hopefully get some answers.

"Roman. I am doing everything I can to keep you safe. You know this. I won't let anything happen to you or Mallorie. There is only one person to worry about, and she is running out of places to hide." Niko approached his cousin and leaned against the fence, mirroring Roman's stance. He needed his cousin to calm down and see reason. He was more than capable at keeping them safe. And he would give his dying breath to ensure they all made it out of it. Roman didn’t know that Mallorie was pregnant, and he would make sure that child had both parents around to raise them.

"I am not as stupid as you make me out to be NB. How many times have I been burned because of your choices in life? How do you think Mallorie will handle all of this after the stress of planning the wedding? She is already keeping secrets from me, and you want to add danger and peril to that? She isn't like us Niko! She isn't prepared to be shot at, kidnapped, almost tortured, and have a wanted level hung over her. That may be the life you want to carry on with, but you can leave the two of us out of it!" He heaved with every breath and wildly looked around his neighborhood as if he were about to be hit over the head and rendered unconscious.

"I am sorry for what happened Roman. Not sure how many more times I will be required to apologize before you accept it." Niko tore his eyes away from his cousin and tried to bury the hurt over his words. He lifted the rifle strap over his shoulder and placed the gun in a more ready position. They were out in the open, exposed, and he wouldn't be caught off guard today. He watched as Bernard continued to talk quietly on the cell phone and make a short trek over to the edge of the yard.

"Niko I am just scared and worried. What kind of marriage will I have if the very beginning of said marriage is met with bullets, fire, and death? That is the complete opposite of how I want the next part of our lives to start." He checked his watch to see that their time was fast approaching to get to the church on time, "And if we are late, I might as well kiss this relationship goodbye!"

"I'll get my friend to drive. Sit behind me in the car. We will get you there on time." Niko’s voice dropped and was devoid of emotion. He didn't bother to look at his cousin as he walked off to get Bernard. He was angry with what Roman had said, but he also was trying to incinerate the heavy guilt that sat in his chest. Roman had typically pulled his punches when it came to their confrontations but didn't hold back today. He had aired out how he felt, and Niko wasn't sure how to handle it. They usually exchanged a couple of heavy words then went on as if nothing was wrong. Maybe he thought incorrectly about how Roman felt about the past seven to eight months.

"See you there. ETA twenty minutes. Be safe." Bernard hung up his phone and turned in time to see Niko approach him, "Karen said they are moving out of the apartment to the church. Things have gone to complete shit. We have a mole in the IAA. We can't trust anyone. When we get there, take Roman inside, and I will approach the ground teams and figure out what’s going on. I hand-picked them knowing where their loyalties lied. I will make sure that hasn't changed. Francis is going to shuffle the police force around to see if there are any weak links there. I will have eyes up in a sniper's nest for the front door. But we need to move now in order to get there in time." He tucked his phone back into his pocket and started to move toward the bullet riddled SUV.

"A mole? That what the shooting was?" Niko turned and matched Bernard’s stride, moving toward the front passenger seat, noticing that Roman had already climbed into the backseat.

"I believe so. It's the working theory right now. Karen's partner attempted to kill her. Gerry managed to kill him first. At least the agent wasn't able to report back to Natalya. This wasn't a target for Kate or anyone else, only Karen, or so I think. FIB has the scene locked down, so I have no way to figure out the level of security at the church." Bernard started the vehicle and backed out of the driveway. He heard Niko and Roman both buckle their seatbelts before he took off for the large, ornate church in Suffolk.

"If there was a mole, how do we know they haven't given Natalya everything she needs to know?" Niko watched the people they passed, hoping to not have to enter into another car chase or shootout. Roman was barely holding on and the last thing he needed was to be in the middle of a firefight on his wedding day.

"Don't know. It was Karen's partner. They were paired up after she brought you in. So, there is no telling what was said between the two or how well Karen trusted him." He drove through the security check in arch and decided taking the Broker Bridge back over toward the Suffolk burrow would be the fastest route, so long as the wrecks didn't cross over onto the other flow of traffic. He would've taken the longer route but needed every second he could get. There was too much work to be done once at the church. "How you holding up back there Roman?" He could tell something was off between the cousins.

"Just great! There is some crazed psycho out there trying to kill us all again. And here I am feeling like we are about to walk into the biggest mistake of our lives. On my wedding day of all days!" Roman scoffed and leaned into the window watching the city pass them by. Something heavy rolled toward his foot and caught his attention, “And why the hell is there a fucking bazooka in here?!”

"You have the LCPD, IAA, and every friendly street gang out there making sure the place is safe and secure. You will be able to wed the love of your life and party the rest of the day without a care in the world." Bernard ignored his outburst about the rocket launcher. It was there for their protection and he didn’t feel the need to explain that. He reached out and turned on the police lights for the vehicle and drove through a red light intersection. He flipped a switch overhead by the sunroof button and waited for dispatch to contact him.

"We will see about that…" Roman sulked back down in his seat wishing for his mood to change, kicking the heavy launcher away from his foot.

" _United Liberty Paper, how can I help you on this glorious day?_ " A female voice echoed around in the vehicle, sounding sweet and kind.

"Hi Gloria. I fear I am running late to a meeting at the office. Would you mind green lighting the project so when I get in, I can immediately get the meeting started?" Bernard answered in their coded language, needing HQ to start scrambling their resources.

" _Right away boss. Just the project? Or should I have refreshments ready as well? Also I can push back the start time fifteen minutes to allow for any unforeseen traffic incidents?"_ The cheery voice answered.

"Refreshments would be wonderful dear. You remember the meeting room number?" Bernard watched as Niko's eyebrows raised. He was sure this was going to bring on a host of new questions once he ended the call.

" _It's in the Bank of Liberty meeting room at ten. Anything else I can help you with? Will there be any of the presenters I should be on the lookout for?"_

"Just me today, Gloria. Last time I checked the guests liked the full spread for breakfast, including napkins. Don’t need their suits getting dirty. Thank you for your help. I'll call in if I am running behind." Bernard reached up and waited for the correct sign off code before terminating the transmission.

" _Understood. Enjoy your meeting boss. And have a wonderful, blessed day with United Liberty Paper."_ There was some static before Bernard flipped off the switch. The correct words had been said, and he wondered if the mole was more centered on Karen, or if they were smart and didn't involve too many others.

"You are not attending the wedding?" Roman listened fascinated to the way things were said. It was like there was an entirely different conversation going on.

"Oh no. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I just need a resupply ammo drop at a location not already pre-determined by the teams in place. That way if something really is wrong, I will have guns and ammo ready to go that they will not be aware of." Bernard watched as every single traffic light ahead of them turned green. He turned on his siren and floored it. They would make up more time this way.

"Interesting. But hopefully not needed." Roman was pushed back into his seat with the change of speed.

"You can never be too careful." Bernard trained his eyes on the road, wanting to get to their destination quickly and without incident.

aaaaaa

"You okay? Cold feet? Upset stomach?" Kate rested in the front pew of the church watching as Mallorie stood in place by the alter, trying to figure out the best angle to stand in. Francis was off to the side speaking to the pastor in whispered tones, while his fellow officers walked the perimeter of the cathedral. Bernie was leaning against the stone wall near the main doors keeping watch for people who came and went, weapons strategically hidden out of sight, but she knew they were there. She almost dreaded being back in this place- if not for the capacity of the situation. If she tried hard enough, she could see herself holding on to her mother as she wept over Derrick's death, Packie sitting on the other side like an unmovable statue.

"No. Just a little weirded out and worried this is going to turn into some damn gang war." Mallorie huffed and descended the couple of steps from the dais to stand before her friend, her hand softly smoothing down the front of her white suit jacket over her navel. She was probably imagining it, but there were small flutters where she assumed her little one was growing.

"Tell me about it. My brother's funeral, which was at this exact church, turned into one. Apparently, my brother's pissed off the entire Albanian mob. And for that reason, the mob decided to crash the funeral of my late brother. Took weeks of therapy before I felt comfortable attending service here again with Ma. Packie outright refused to join us." Kate looked up to the large stained glass windows above the pulpit. The colors were brightly illuminated from the early morning light creating a beautiful display of colors against the cold gray stone facade.

"I am sorry." Mallorie whispered as she noticed the faraway look that crossed her friend's face.

"It's in the past now. Niko and my brother Packie handled the situation. Derrick is now resting peacefully." She smiled regrettably and lowered her eyes from the windows. "Ma's funeral will probably take place here in a few days. She will be placed to rest next to Pa. Even though that thought feels wrong." And she really didn’t feel comfortable laying her mother to rest next to the man who put them all through the ringer.

Mallorie studied her friend trying to come up with the right words. Flickering lights from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she noticed the side tables covered in votive candles. Some lit, others waiting for their time to be ignited. A vague memory of her childhood shoved its way to the forefront of her mind and an idea formed. "Come with me. I want to do something." She held her hands out to Kate and waited for her to take them, before hauling her up to her feet.

Silently she pulled along a thoughtful Kate toward the side tables, their heels clacking against the stone floors. Mallorie searched a couple of the cabinet doors before finding a new candle and a couple of matches. Carefully she placed the white candle down in a glass holder and turned toward her friend, "My mother taught me to light candles for those who have moved on from this world. I can't remember much of the prayers or how it's officially done, but I figured maybe we could light one for your Ma?" She held the match out to her and waited.

"I. Thank you." Kate was stunned into silence. She took the match from Mallorie and approached the votive table. Her eyes wanted to water with the kind gesture, and she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Do you have anyone you want to light one for?" She asked wanting to know if she could pray for someone in her family or group of friends.

"Oh. It's okay. I'm not that religious anymore and just…" She trailed off as she took in all the lit candles spread out on the wooden tables, "Yeah okay. Wouldn't hurt I guess."

"It's never a bad thing to pray for those who are gone. I'll get you one and we can light them together." She knelt down, careful of her shorter dress, and pulled out two more candles. The silence between them didn't feel awkward or strained but was peaceful and calming. Kate placed one candle down into a spare glass holder and passed Mallorie another match. Together they both ignited the matches and held them to the wick of their respective candles. Once the flame started, they extinguished the matches.

Kate bowed her head and took Mallorie's hand into hers. She wouldn't pray aloud, not wanting to disturb the serenity around them. She let her thoughts quiet before offering her prayers for her Ma. It would be harder to keep it together at the actual funeral service, and she would need to properly thank Mallorie for this moment later. It was giving her a chance to say goodbye before having to do it publicly in front of the congregation. She felt a squeeze and tug on her hand, and she released her hold. She felt a soft tender kiss to the side of her face before Mallorie's heels clicked as she moved away.

"Oh my goodness girl look at you!" Someone yelled from the entrance of the church, Mallorie’s high pitched squeal reverberating off the vaulted ceiling.

Kate finished her prayer and turned to see a young female with long braids embrace Mallorie in the middle of the aisle. Little Jacob stood a few feet back with Badman, giving the females a minute to catch up. They were all as dressed up as they felt comfortable being and still allowed for weapons to be tucked into jackets and pants. She smiled at the sight of the friends before turning back toward the candles, picking up the discarded matches and spare candle she had left out of the way. She counted the rows before coming to the unlit candle she had placed for her brother Derrick shortly after the funeral fiasco. Quickly she relit his candle and said a silent prayer. The laughter and chatter of the people in the church caused a small smile to bloom on her lips. It was a welcomed distraction from the sobering thoughts that wanted to creep around in her mind.

A table further back, closer to the dais, and out of sight from the main cathedral caught her attention. ' _That would be perfect…'_ As if in a trance she exited the main room to a side room that held only a few candles, their flames flickering away in the dimmer light. The room had an eerie air about it, and it sent a chill down her spine. The smaller, narrower platform had kneeling rests in front, allowing for longer prayer sessions. Mindful to be respectful of the space, Kate placed the other spare candle down into the stained glass candle holder and knelt down in front of the table.

"Niko had said he lost family and friends back in the war. I do not know the names or how many, but I hope this will be enough for now." She whispered out into the silent space before striking the match against the rough surface of the table and held it to the wick. The flame jumped to life and danced against the invisible breeze in the church. She blew out the match and once more bowed her head in prayer.

The wooden knee rest creaked and shifted as a weight was added to it. Kate's head snapped up alarmed, and fear stricken eyes darted around before landing on the person who had joined her so quietly. Bernie had taken the space next to her and was silently mouthing words she couldn't hear or decipher. She placed a hand over her heart and sucked in a lungful of air to try and calm her rapidly beating heart. Once she felt she had stayed off the heart attack she wanted to have, she resumed her original position and finished her prayers. She was beyond curious now as to what Bernie was doing in here or why he felt the need to join her. Once she uttered the quiet ‘amen,’ she let her curiosity get the better of her. Slowly, as to not disturbed Bernie, she shifted to be able to see him in the darkness of the room.

"You do not know the people we lost, nor have any reason to care for their souls, yet you light a candle for their memories. Why?" Bernie, who's voice had altered back to the more aggressive and deeper tone of Florian, echoed in the smaller room.

"They were, well are, part of Niko's life. And since I am in his life, I figured I would pray for them while I am here. It matters not to me what crimes they have committed. They are important to Niko, and therefore important to me. And from my understanding, didn't exactly have the opportunity to take a different path. I just hope they were able to find peace in the next life." Kate's voice trembled with the weight of her words. She always felt a small amount of fear whenever Bernie would drop his persona around her. But being back in church after so long of avoiding it, had started to pull deeper sentiments out of her.

"Still. The kind gesture was not lost on me. Thank you. But next time you decide to wander off, take one of us with you." His smile looked more sinister in the dim light and the flickering flames, but the softness of his voice had returned to him. "Niko would absolutely crucify me if I let you disappear on us and something happened."

Kate's nose scrunched up with his choice of words but nonetheless pushed on, "I won't do that again. I wanted to do this privately, as I did not know the names of those I was praying for."

"There are too many names, and not enough candles. Come. More friends have shown up, and it's almost time to get you and Mallorie ready to walk down the aisle. I need to add the flowers to Mallorie's and your hair." Bernie stood up from the knelt position he was in and held his hand out to her. He was back to the gentle and caring nature of Bernie, having shoved Florian aside once more.

"Right. The show must go on!" She gladly took his hand and stood back up. She took one last look around the room, noticing for the first time that Bernie had not lit a candle when he had joined her. She allowed him to pull her away from the private prayer room and back into the brightly lit cathedral. More people had shown up than she anticipated, and the butterflies started up in her stomach. Men in uniform, all properly done up for their rank within the LCPD, walked casually around the room checking for weapons or enemies. Francis had taken up position at the front with some of his fellow officers and was welcoming in people from the streets.

Little Jacob stood near the front pew laughing at something Mallorie had said and was holding on to the female that had greeted her earlier. Several other men waited around them as if waiting for a command or order to be given to them. Brucie had started to argue with Francis at the front door and Bernie excused himself to go save the idiot from being shot. As she took in the massive room, she noticed other people in suits walking along the balconies, earpieces in place and armed with rifles. ' _This is either going to be the safest place in Liberty or the most targeted one…'_

"It is quite the sight isn't it?" Karen pushed up off from the wall she was resting against and limped over to her from her post, she maintained a decent distance between them, not wanting to set her off in front of her other agents. She casually used the nearest pew to prop herself up.

"It sure it. Is this what it is like when you are famous?" Kate forced herself to quit counting how many agents she saw along the upper floors and looked to Karen. She tried to make it look natural, but she shifted away from the federal agent to be closer to the middle of the pew Karen was using to hold herself upright. She didn’t trust her completely and was somewhat defenseless against the gun she saw strapped to her hip.

"Yes and no. I'd say this is more like witness protection for someone about to stand trial. Famous people get the illusion of having no one around." She tucked her loose hair behind her ears and folded her arms over her chest. She had managed to change into some proper fitting dress slacks and uniform dress shirt and couldn't be happier to be clothed decently for once. Her sidearm was strapped to her side for all to see and she turned to be able to keep Kate from staring at it. She had seen the flash of concern cross Kate’s face and internally groaned at the reaction.

"And just whose trial are we preparing for?" She didn't like talking to her, honestly hated the idea of even being in the same room as her, but she was grateful to her for saving her brother. They had all talked about what was going on as they headed off for the church. The gaps were filling in quickly for her, and it was about time that she get the full picture. Karen had been fairly integral to the mission at hand, and like it or not, would be around for the foreseeable future. She swallowed thickly and willed her nerves to settle. Karen had plenty of opportunities to simply abandon them and walk away and yet she continued to fight for them. It was the small redeeming quality that Kate clung to when it came to dealing with the ex-girlfriend of _her_ man.

"Dimitri's cousin of course." She shrugged as she swept the room with her brown eyes, once more counting the weapons present, the ones hidden in plain sight, and extra ammo she had stashed in certain pews. She hesitated before moving around the pew to sit down right in front of Kate. It was a sign of trust. She was in the more vulnerable position, giving Kate the upper hand. ‘ _Plus, I needed to be off my feet_.’ She mentally told herself. 

"I think that would be more of an execution than a trial. But then again what do I know? I'm just some helpless princess. Right?" She sighed and decided to just get this over with. Carefully she sat down next to Karen and fixed her glare to the female that had once held title of girlfriend to her boyfriend. She no longer felt scared of the woman that had intimidated her in the restroom at Jerkov's. Niko had more than quelled her need for affirmation on who he wanted in his life. And she desperately clutched to his words and actions every time she was close to his ex-girlfriend.

"Look I'm sorry for what I said. And for what it's worth, I don't think you are _completely_ helpless. Just ill informed. It is not your fault that the evil in this city wanted to harm you." She offered her best apology. It was partially true and got her point across without being nasty about it. She half shrugged her shoulders feeling the need to move under the unwavering stare sent her way.

"You shouldn't lie in the house of God. But I accept the apology for the face value of it." She hesitated to bring up the next subject, but knew she would need to broach it at some point, "Just promise me something?" Kate lowered her voice as more people filed into the church and began to take their seats. She leaned in closer as to let her know this was meant to be a private conversation.

"You shouldn't make promises either with someone who might outright lie to you at church." Karen quipped back, letting the corners of her mouth lift in a genuine smile. Maybe if they had met on different terms, they could have been friends. Their banter was easier now that things had been settled between her and Niko. She knew where his heart lied, and she would respect his choice.

"Touché." She grumbled out turning away to watch as Mallorie started to head their direction with an overly excited Bernie in tow, "Don't break my brother's heart. I have seen that look on him three other times. And as you probably already know, he was married three times before. You end up hurting him, you won't have to worry about Niko coming for you, it will be me you will need to deal with." She sent her own hardened glare Karen's direction before letting her smile bloom as Mallorie approached their personal space. She watched the recognition set in on Karen's face before giving the bride her full attention, standing up and catching her as she flung herself at her. The hug was a welcomed distraction.

"Girl we must get ready! Francis just saw Niko and Roman pull up in a SUV. Come _on_! We have to get out of sight." Mallorie practically bounced in her excitement, leaned out of her arms, grabbed both of Kate's hands, and was about to drag her off to the staircases by the main entrance. Bernie laughed lightly at the rather comical scene they must all be making. He met Karen’s eyes and shrugged knowing there wasn’t much he could do to keep them from expressing themselves. He attempted to usher them away and to their secluded space to finish getting ready.

"Congratulations, really, congrats. Best of luck to you both." Karen spoke up to Mallorie as she tried to haul the McReary sister away, "And Kate?" The trio stopped moving away to glance back to the federal agent who had been friend, foe, then ally, "I promise." She sincerely smiled to let her know she wasn't joking this time and meant what she had said. There would be no ill intent going forward in her actions.

"Thank you. I'll talk to you later?" She smiled back and nodded to the deeper meaning behind their words. If they were able to find common ground and move on from recent events, maybe they could have a mutual respect form between them. Mallorie tugged a little more insistent on her hands causing her to focus on her friend instead, huge smile forming on her face.

"Perhaps. Now go! Get ready! I'll be out back making sure no one tries to sneak in. Send Roman my regards as well. Have fun!" Karen waved as the two girls practically floated down the side aisle toward one of the staircases that lead to the balconies, Bernie poorly attempting to keep them in check. It would keep Mallorie out of sight for Roman to make it down to the alter and would also be good cover should someone strike before the ceremony. Her eyes traveled along the expansive upper floors making sure to maintain eye contact with every one of the agents present.

The ground team had been trying to report Agent Johnson missing and that the ammo had been blanks, not live ammunition. She had called HQ to get new firepower delivered and was thankful to Little Jacob for being close by to help resupply them before their own ammo arrived. She hauled herself up off the pew and made her way toward the back entrance, satisfied that everything was in place and operating the way it should. People had taken their seats in the pews, armed dressed officers lined the lower level, federal agents along the balcony, and the pastor was making his way to the pulpit to begin the service and ceremony.

She looked around one final time as she neared the back door and felt herself feel hope for the first time in several long years. ' _It will be alright. Things will go as they should…'_ She tapped the earpiece to talk to the first team in place, “Overlook to ground team one, what’s your status?” Silently she made her way outside and allowed the door to close behind her.

aaaaaa

Bernard parked the SUV out front of the church on the street. The three of them only blankly looked at the looming building in the bright morning light. The street was lined with marked and unmarked police vehicles, and even if it gave off the impression of being guarded, Bernard knew better. Their enemies had gained confidence and had no qualms of striking in broad daylight, and no less at a church. They had ambushed a hospital and the prison, and he wasn't sure there would be any truly safe place left in the city.

"Well. At least Mallorie will be getting a large wedding ceremony." Roman was in awe at how many people he saw lined up to enter the church. He didn't think he had that many friends, but maybe he was wrong. Mallorie was a socialite in Broker and Bohan- which meant she talked about people he had never met before in his life. And he recognized several of Little Jacob's friends waiting their turn to be checked in to the entrance.

"Last time I checked Yardies do not have territory here in Algonquin. So, I am pretty sure they are here for the wedding and protection detail." Bernard watched as the line was growing shorter as Francis checked people and let them in. He waved to the Deputy Commissioner who returned the gesture before ducking inside the church. "Looks like Francis is making sure Mallorie is out of sight. That must be our cue buys." He turned the key in the ignition to off and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Let's get me married!" Roman removed his seatbelt and flung open the car door. The fresh air greeted him, and he hungrily sucked in a few deep breaths. He stretched his arms out and shook them slightly to remove any last minute nerves that had been building up on the ride over to the church.

"Can you give us a minute? We need to talk about something before going inside. Just give us the signal when they are ready for us." Niko watched as Roman bounced slightly in his dress shoes as if he were getting ready for a marathon run.

"Sure. Just don't take too long. No one likes it when a wedding starts late." Bernard gave him a small smile before exiting the vehicle and made his way to the open church doors, immediately engaging Francis in a conversation. He pointed to a couple of people at the end of the line and nodded before entering in the church.

Niko took a long fortifying breath before pulling himself out of the vehicle. Roman had been rather all over the place today and he figured he needed to get some things off his chest and hopefully make a few things right between them. He adjusted his pistol in the back of his pants to be more accessible should he need it and pulled the strap to his rifle over one of his shoulders. He would need to have it placed somewhere within reach as he didn't want to have it on him for the ceremony.

The orange Infernus was parked a few spots down on the street and he wondered if his sniper was still in the trunk or not. He figured Bernie must have driven the thing to the church with the girls, or had Francis follow them in it. He shook his head trying to get rid of all the what ifs and scenarios that led them to this point. They were here, moments away from having his cousin tie the knot, and he found himself wondering about who drove with who and where everyone's position was inside the church. He moved a few paces closer to his cousin and let him continue in his weird stretches and warmups.

"Roman?" It was now or never, and he would force himself to say the right things and not ruin his cousin's wedding day.

"Yeah NB?" Roman stopped pulling on his arms and turned to face his family.

"You were spared coming here. The wars were horrible, and it is why I am who I am now. You may not have had the best circumstances getting established here, but you did not have to watch your- _our_ \- village burn to the ground. People we grew up with murdered one another over the smallest of differences. You have an optimistic outlook on life, and I am glad you did not have that destroyed by staying home." Niko couldn't bring himself to lock eyes with his cousin, and instead studied the concrete of the sidewalk. It took every ounce of strength to speak about the wars and he hoped Roman recognized that.

"This bitterness and coldness is just a byproduct of war cousin, it is not who you are. I remember when we were boys, dreaming of moving away and living out our wildest fantasies. I see glimpses of that boy in you every now and then. I am sorry for what I said earlier. I am just scared. This is my dream Niko. Mallorie is my dream girl, and I want to start a family with her, and do the whole stereotypical bullshit that is the so called American dream. I have never been this close before." He titled his head slightly to the side and for once didn't feel the need to over exaggerate his movements to get his words across to him.

"And I do not want to be the reason that dream is ruined. You are happy when you are with Mallorie and I will not let that be dampened today. One day we will need to talk about everything, but today is not it, today is your wedding day. Our friends are here to celebrate with us." He shifted the rifle on his shoulder to be more comfortable, "What could be more authentic then having a bunch of guns at your wedding?" Niko had to hide the smirk that wanted to form when Roman let out some surprised laughter.

"Perhaps rice being thrown at us instead of shell casings? I do love fireworks though." Roman wiped at his eye as a tear had formed with his laughing, "And no Niko. I would have asked you to be my best man if this took place back home. You are my best friend and cousin. And more a brother to me than cousin. We grew up together and now are taking on the world together. Who better to have at my side when I get married?" He flung his arms out wide and pulled his cousin in for a bear hug.

"Thank you, cousin." Niko retuned the hug and tried to let go of any lingering doubt about where they stood with one another. He patted his back when the hug started to last longer than he was comfortable with. They backed away and kept their hands on each other's shoulders, "Now. Let's get you married!" He clapped his cousin's shoulders before turning to head into the church.

"Let's do this!" Roman shouted rubbing his hands together. He was ready to commit to one woman, start that family they spoke about randomly, and begin the next chapter of their lives. Niko would one day be an uncle of sorts to his children and the thought warmed his heart and caused a brilliant smile to cross his features.

Together they made their way up the steps to the large oak doors of the church. Bernard nodded to them from inside the church to go on and held his hand out for Niko's rifle, "I'll place it down in the front pew on the groom's side. It will be within reach but won't frighten the ladies." He smirked when Niko only shook his head in mock affront.

"That will have to work. Does the minister have a problem with it?" He glanced into the large cathedral and watched as the pastor greeted a few people as they took their seats.

"Doesn't have much of a say, does he?" He took hold of the assault rifle as Niko handed it over, "Francis wanted to have a quick word. I'll go get this in position and take my seat. Congratulations Roman, it will be a beautiful ceremony." He tucked the rifle down along his body as to not make a scene of it as he walked down a side aisle toward the front.

"Uh thanks." Roman and Niko both watched as he slowly made his way toward the front right pew, nodding and smiling to officers that greeted him. "I never got his name."

"He doesn't give it out. Must be an IAA thing." Niko muttered as Francis approached them. He was in the most exuberant police uniform they had ever seen. The deep navy of the suit and pants was overshadowed by the numerous bars and medals that clung to his chest. Golden ropes looped over his left shoulder and through the shoulder boards. Three gold stars graced each shoulder and smaller ones were placed along the edge of his white collared dress shirt. Beneath the many ribbons and medals was the police badge with the last name McReary etched in black lettering.

"Hey. Uh. Congratulations Roman. Mallorie looks amazing and it will be a sight to behold once she walks down the aisle." Francis stood just inside the cathedral and ushered them inside, "We are ready to start the ceremony, if you are? Did you remember the rings and everything?"

"I have them." Niko patted the breast pocket that was tucked inside his suit jacket, "Wouldn't want to fail in best man duties today."

"Great! Then I have been instructed to alert the pastor to start the proceedings, and to let you know that you will walk down the aisle first, followed by Roman. You will stand on the bottom step slightly off to the side of Roman. Roman you will be on the same level as the pastor. Any questions?" Francis glanced around the room before looking back to the two men who had finally made it inside the building.

"Just that this hurries along so I can get to the fun part of kissing my wife!" Roman was practically beaming in his excitement. He couldn't figure out where to look as the room was buzzing with small conversations and people. He noticed the organ player take her seat and glanced their way waiting for her cue to start playing music. ' _This is just too good to be true!'_

"Okay then. I'll let the pastor know and get this party started. I'll be standing by the wall where Kate will be. Good luck, and uh, God bless." He flattened out his suit jacket out of habit and tucked his hat up under his arm in a more relaxed position. He turned toward the dais and regally nodded to the pastor who waited at the end of the main aisle. "Here we go." Francis whispered out to himself as he began the slow march down the aisle. Every police officer snapped to attention and saluted their boss as he moved gracefully down the aisle. Their heels as they clicked together echoed out in the large space, causing the crowd to fall into a hushed awe.

Roman turned to look to Niko as his joy reached an all-time high, "Cousin thank you for being here with me." He kept his voice low as to only have them hear the conversation. Organ music began to play and caused him to jump slightly with the barrage of noise.

Niko watched as Francis made it to the front pew, the pastor moving to be in the center of the dais on the ground level. Francis slightly bowed his head to the pastor and turned toward the left-hand wall. He finished his walk by turning toward the alter and clicking his own heels together. Every other officer in the room relaxed their position and lowered their salute. The guests all turned in their seats to face the front as the ceremony officially began. The organist held the last few chords for a couple of seconds before ending the song.

He turned his eyes to meet those of his cousin and smiled for him, "I will always be here for you cousin. Ready?" He placed a hand on Roman's shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"As ready as I can be." Roman's smile got impossibly huge and Niko couldn't stop his own from growing.

Niko released his cousin and turned to face the pastor at the end of the long main aisle. His stomach churned inside of him and he wasn't sure if it was out of excitement or nervous fear. So far nothing had seemed out of place. He recognized most of the faces in the room, and he would have to have blind faith in Francis and Bernard to have their best officers and agents present. The news of a mole being in the IAA worried him greatly. Bernard had been his biggest support in all this, and now their slight advantage could have been spoiled. His legs locked up on him and he closed his eyes to take a calming breath.

' _Everything will be alright. You just have to believe in that. Trust yourself to do the right thing.'_

He let out a long silent exhale and released all the pent up nerves that had been brewing inside. Slowly he made his way toward the closest pew, which allowed him to see up into the vast ceiling and upper levels of the cathedral. Beautiful organ music started up again, reverberating off the stones that lined the floor, walls, and ceiling. The sunlight that burst through the stained glass windows drowned out the dreary gray of the place. It gave it life and set an air about the sacred ground. Niko hadn't spent much time in churches, but this one was by far the most breathtaking ones he had ever stepped foot in.

He let his mind quiet and his eyes wander. He could see agents stationed every couple of feet along the upper balconies, assault rifles hung around their bodies at the ready. Police officers were placed every other pew along the outer rows, sidearms tucked into holsters, and rifles deftly slung over their shoulders. This place was screaming of beauty, but also of violence. He had killed many people out on the front steps and street outside in order to protect the McReary family.

A noise from above him caught his attention and he looked up over his shoulder toward the back corner where the balcony reached the staircase to the lower level. Beautiful blue green eyes greeted him from the most loving smile. Kate was peaking from around the corner pillar, watching as the ceremony started. Her fingers were curled around the stone and she wiggled them slightly in a small wave. His eyes softened getting to see her again and he wanted nothing more than the barge up the steps to pull her into his arms. He sent her his reserved smile before turning back toward the alter.

The music was gentle, but with an underlying purpose to it, as if it were asking him to move it along. The distance may have only been a dozen or so pews, but to him it seemed to stretch on forever. He met the eyes of everyone he passed- Little Jacob and his girlfriend, Badman, Dwayne and Cherise, Brucie, and several members of the Yardies gave him a slight nod out of respect. He recognized some of the regulars from the Steinway Beer Garden and figured that either Packie or Francis asked them to come stand watch. Bernard was in the front pew, leg crossed over his other, giving off a rather comfortable look. But he knew better. They shared a look of understanding before Niko reached the open space at the foot of the dais.

The pastor greeted him with a warm smile and held his hand out to the side to let him know which direction to walk to. As Niko turned to look back out over the mass of people, law enforcement, and his cousin, he took one last glance to the upper back corner where he had seen Kate. She was still hiding behind the pillar, but Bernie had joined her and waved to him. Then they ducked back behind the pillar from his view. He let his eyes trail down the pillar to the entrance he figured they would emerge from and waited for the moment that he would get to see her again.

The music ended before the next song began, and Roman practically ran down the aisle, causing the poor organ player to skip a verse or two in order to finish the song decently. A few laughs danced above the crowd at Roman's show of enthusiasm. Little Jacob let out a holler causing more people to join in their laughter before a couple of people applauded.

"I see we are eager to marry the young miss." The Pastor chuckled as he addressed Roman and the crowd. "Please, take your position." He guided the bobbing cousin to stand off to the side of him. The pastor tucked the book he was holding under his arm and removed the pocket square from Roman's suit jacket. Lightly he dapped across Roman's forehead to remove a few beads of sweat, "There. Now you look ready to meet your bride!" The audience went up in more laughter as the pastor refolded the silk and tucked it back into the suit pocket.

"Yes! Where is she?" Roman pulled on his jacket to make it lay right. He was nervous and so beyond ready to kiss his bride. He kept looking across the crowd at all the familiar faces and never once let his smile falter.

The pastor moved back toward the center of the aisle and nodded to the organ player to start the next song. A more feminine tune began to waft through the lofty cathedral as the front side door creaked open. Kate emerged from the doorway and slowly made her way to the edge of the aisle.

Her insides were tightly wound together. She never liked being the center of attention and this ranked right up there with her more uncomfortable moments. Reading aloud from a textbook in grade school, the piano concert in high school, speech classes, graduation, the few fundraiser dinners she attended with Francis- and now walking down the aisle in church for her new friend's wedding. Her palms shook around the small bouquet of flowers Bernie had made for them, and she desperately wanted to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated on them.

Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she could image everyone could see it as it tried to escape through her ribcage. The rush of blood in her ears dimmed the booming organ music and her vision momentarily tunneled. She rapidly blinked her eyes to regain control. Her throat felt incredibly dry and she tried to swallow to wet it. Her knees felt like jelly and like her feet were made of lead weights. She glanced behind her to see Bernie and Mallorie give her the thumbs up. ' _I can do this. I can do this. Just got to make it down the aisle. Everyone is here for Mallorie. Not you…'_ She steeled her spine and squared her shoulders, ' _Just a simple walk down a dozen rows of pews and then I will no longer the center of attention.'_

' _You have no idea the sight you make…'_ Niko felt the rest of the world fade away from him. Kate's rich brownish red hair was craftly braided into a crown around her head, wispy curls that weren't long enough to be included in the braid framed her face, and tiny white flowers were woven throughout. Her eyes shone in the light that streamed in from the stain glassed windows, and not a single bruise was visible on her porcelain looking skin. The dress had a small scoop neck and it allowed him to see some of the creamy skin that he knew rested beneath the soft silk of the dress. The deepest of reds caused her skin to almost shimmer in contrast against the fabric that clung to her small frame.

As she crossed into a ray of sunlight the necklace and earrings glimmered and projected their own mini rainbows across her face and body. She was the definition of beauty in his book, and he had to force himself to stop from leaving his position next to Roman. Her eyes landed on him and she absolutely glowed. Her smile lifted the corners of her lipstick covered lips and caused the creases of her eyes to form.

' _Good Lord he is one fine man!'_ She dragged her eyes over his body and felt a renewed need pull in her stomach. The dark black material of his suit practically absorbed the light that dared to go near him. The white dress shirt was pressed and crisp and was a stark contrast to his slightly tanned skin. The red tie caught her attention as it stood out against the more muted color tone of the overall suit. She could see the suit vest that the tie tucked into beneath the jacket. And while the suit was cut to form a specific shape, she could see the way his muscles moved under the smooth fabric.

The closer she got, the more she felt the need to simply walk toward him and into those solid arms of his. She had eyes only for him and prayed that one day they could officially join as one. Perhaps in this very church she would be able to form a union with him before their friends, family, and God. She would get Mallorie to go dress shopping with her and get to know Jacob's girlfriend and invite her along too. They would celebrate the start of their new lives together and have that fairy tale ending she always craved. The knight and shining armor, or black suit in this instance, would sweep her from her feet and carry her over the threshold of their home together.

She was shaken from her thoughts as the pastor leaned into her line of sight, "Ma'am take your place please?" He guided her to the opposite side of the alter to stand on the same level as Niko. She felt her face flush bright red at having been lost in her own musings of a brighter future. Their eyes met again, and she saw him mouth the words, ' _I love you'_. She felt her eyes water greatly as she silently mouthed the words back to him. The song ended as she turned to look back out across the pews and felt her heart stutter at the amount of people that stared back at her.

The familiar cadence of the wedding march started from the organ pipes as the next part of the ceremony began. The pastor lifted his hands to let everyone know to go ahead and stand up. As one the group rose to their feet and turned to look for the bride as she emerged from the same door Kate had walked out of. Mallorie walked out of the small room they had used to stay out of sight in, on Bernie's arm. He had offered to accompany her down the aisle and be the one to hand her over to Roman. They glanced to each other before Mallorie sought out Roman's loving gaze.

"My God, my beautiful, beautiful, woman!" Roman softly exclaimed as he got to see the love of his life move down the aisle on the arm of one of his best friends. The room was abuzz with soft murmurs about how beautiful the bride was, how lucky the two were, how wonderful it is to see true love, the remarks went on and on, but all they could hear or see was each other in this moment.

The walk was rather rushed, and Bernie had to squeeze her hand in the crook of his elbow to get her to slow down a touch. He didn't want her to rush through these precious moments they were gifted. She pinched the fabric of his second favorite suit jacket in retaliation. If she wanted to get up to Roman quickly, then she would damn well run if she wanted to. The curls from her updo bounced with each excited step she took toward her future husband. The bright, white, daisies stood out against the dark brown of her hair. She had decided long ago that a big poufy wedding dress was not going to be in her future. So, she settled on a simple plain white suit jacket, tight fitting black jeans that stretched like leggings, and knee high black boots. It was a relief to her since the stress of staying a certain weight to fit into a dress she picked out would have pushed her over the edge. This way she was comfortable and would be able to go to the bathroom without the help of someone needing to hold her dress.

They approached the pastor as the last few chords bellowed from the brass organ pipes. The silence that descended upon the gathering was rather deafening, as the pastor opened the bible he had tucked under his arm, "May we bow our heads in prayer," He bowed his head and started the ceremony he had conducted so many times before, "Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of marriage. For all the joy and love that it brings us. We thank you for Roman and Mallorie. Thank you that You have brought them together for this special day, and that You hold them safely in Your hands. We pray that You would richly bless them as they exchange their vows and their wedding rings, and from this day forward they would walk hand in hand into everything that You have destined them to be. We give our hearts and beings to You now in adoration and welcome Your Holy Spirit amongst us. Amen."

A few people in the pews repeated back a soft 'amen' before the pastor climbed up the dais to stand behind the alter, placing the book down to an open page. He glanced around the room briefly before continuing on with the ceremony, "Who here gives this woman to be married to this man?" He focused his attention to the pair that stood directly in front of the alter on the stone floor.

"I am here today to hand this wonderful woman off to be wed to my good friend Roman." Bernie placed his hand over hers that rested in the crook of his elbow. They exchanged smiles before looking back up to the pastor for the next instructions.

"Very well." He smiled to the pair and nodded his thanks, "A successful marriage is made up of two people, each putting the other before themselves and giving to that person one hundred percent first, last, and always. However, as Mallorie and Roman's journey unfolds there will be opportunities and challenges that will strain, and perhaps even weaken them. They may move back and forth between the season of their love, sometimes strong as the autumn harvest time, and sometimes tender, tentative, and fragile as the springtime shoots that brave the frost."

He paused to glance between the small party gathered before him, "In those times they will need the support and caring of all of you who have come to celebrate this joyous union. So, in the joining of these two families, I ask all of you to take a vow in their presence and in the presence of each other. Do you pledge to honor and support their marriage? Do you pledge to be neutral and support them equally? And will you always be there for them and embrace them with the love of family and the joy of sharing your lives with them?" He looked to the best man and the maid of honor, as well as the gentleman who waited to hand Mallorie off, then to the gathered group standing before him in the pews.

"We will."

"I will."

"Yes"

A chorus of similar declarations rang out among the gathered group of friends and family, Brucie’s voice a little louder than most. Mallorie smiled gently toward Roman itching to be able to stand before him and take hold of his hands. Roman returned the smile and held his hand out for her to take. Carefully Bernie removed her hand from the crease of his elbow and placed it down into Roman's waiting one.

" _Congrats my friend. May you keep your happiness and love always."_ Bernie's joy was so contagious at getting to hand off his friend to be wed, that he almost forgot to let go of the now joined hands.

"Thank you, Bernie. I will be forever grateful." Roman clasped his fiancé's hand gently and guided her to stand next to him before they took the couple of steps to stand before the pastor. As one they turned to face one another to continue the ceremony. Mallorie turned to hold out her bouquet of flowers to Kate, who quickly moved forward to take them, before returning to her spot of honor. Bernie moved to the opposite pew of Bernard so that he would be able to protect Mallorie and Kate better, and gracefully took his seat.

"Thank you, please be seated." The pastor spoke to the still standing crowd. The room was filled with rustling and creaking as people sat back down in the old wooden pews, "Today we gather to lift Mallorie and Roman up in celebration of ever-lasting love. In the presence of their beloved family and friends, Mallorie and Roman will pronounce their love through this ceremony and begin a lifelong journey together." The powerful, strong, voice filled the air from the pastor as he spoke from the alter. One could tell he was used to speaking in the cathedral as he paused between sentences to allow the echo to cease before continuing.

"On this day, we offer gratitude for the blessings that have been bestowed upon Mallorie and Roman. In this fast-spinning, always-changing world they have at least found peace and comfort in one another. Their love is a testament to their faith: both Mallorie and Roman always maintained faith that they would find their other half. This ceremony is a tribute to their most unique love story and a promise of a beautiful future ahead. There are no limits that love cannot surpass, and we see that here today."

Kate shifted her eyes over to see Niko, who was staring back at her intently. She locked her knees to keep them from shaking under his heated gaze. She could almost make out the words she knew he must be thinking, ' _Once this is over…'_ And truly, once she was able, she would be pulling him aside for some much needed _attention_. The distance and time apart built up a craving to be held. A craving to be kissed. A craving to be _loved._ A way to forget all her troubles and just live in the moment.

Niko caught her eyes, and he matched her gaze. The words seemed to seep into his soul as the pastor commented on the commitment that his cousin was making today. He was never one for words, declarations of love, or for grand gestures, but so far what had been said was hitting the nail on the head for them. And like his cousin's love story, his was just as unique in nature. It was never meant to be, yet here they were- fighting to keep what they had alive and going.

"We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to join together Mallorie and Roman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted by God, since the first man and the first woman walked on the earth. Therefore, it is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Both Mallorie and Roman looked out at the gathered crowd hoping no one would be trying to pull a joke or prank and give a half-hearted 'yes'. As the silence stretched on for several moments, their fears began to quiet down. Even as Brucie made to stand up only to readjust on the pew. Roman shot him a rather evil glare.

Satisfied that no person would be speaking up he continued, "Mallorie and Roman are you ready to exchange vows?"

"Yes" They answered in unison.

"Did you have specific vows you wished to exchange first?" He flipped a couple of pages in the book to the next section and glanced up to the couple before him.

"I have." Mallorie offered, glancing to the pastor before turning her bright smile to her soon to be husband, "Roman, you are the light in my life and the beat in my heart. I take you just as you are and in every form you may ever be. I promise to tend to your weaknesses just as I applaud your strengths. I promise to show you, day in and day out, that you are my everything. On this day, I give you my heart. You shall be my forever." Her eyes watered slightly, and she blinked back the tears not wanting to have her mascara run.

"Ah my sweet love, I have one prepared as well!" Roman firmed his grasp on both of her hands as he recalled the vow to his mind that he had worked on for the past month or so, "My beautiful Mal, you and I both know how indecisive I can be at times. I simply don't like to make decisions. But if there is one decision in my life that I know is the right one, it's to spend the rest of my life with you."

He took in a deep breath and stilled the shaking in his hands, "There is an infinite number of things I love about you. I love your thoughtfulness and your ability to keep me grounded. I love your loyalty to me and our relationship. I love the way you sometimes forget English when you get excited, and I love how when you laugh really hard, your eyes squint. I promise to be patient with you, even if it means I have to listen to how much you hate answering the phones at the office." A few chuckles could be heard from the audience.

"I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were my forever. Someway, somehow, I was determined to make you mine. And from this day forward my heart is entirely yours. Mal, you are my everything, and this is my promise to you." His voice never wavered even as his beautiful bride let a few tears slip down her cheeks.

Kate fought hard to not let the sweet words get her crying, _'but damnit Roman!'_ Her sight was obscured with tears as she listened to him declare his undying love for Mallorie. She sniffed quietly as the tears welled up too great to be held back. One lone tear made the trek down her cheek, closely followed by another one. A tap on her shoulder almost made her jump out of her skin. She turned abruptly to find Francis standing behind her holding out his handkerchief. He offered her a sincere smile and held it out further for her to take. She accepted it gladly and dabbed the corners of her eyes to not mess up the wonderful job Mallorie did on her makeup. She passed him the two bouquets of flowers so that she could use the handkerchief better. She mouthed her words of thanks to him before he moved back to his vigilant place against the wall, holding the flowers in his hands.

Niko couldn't believe that Roman had managed to put the words together in order to make people feel strong emotions. He had the bride crying, his girlfriend almost weeping tears of love, and had several other females in the audience reaching for their purses to pull out tissues. Bernie was completely engrossed in the words and didn't even bother to wipe the tears from his face. He observed the room as they all soaked in the heartfelt words his cousin had produced. ' _Maybe he does know English better than I do…'_

The pastor stood absolutely floored behind the alter as he hadn't heard a man give that great of a written vow in years, and he did this on the regular almost every weekend. He coughed slightly to get everyone's attention again and back to the task at hand, "There is nothing more romantic and sacred than standing before all those dear to your hearts to declare your love to one another. This time-honored tradition is carried on only by those committed to a true life-long love story. I can feel that desire burning bright today." He smiled gratefully to the young couple that seemed so lost in one another's eyes.

"As requested from a friend of the couple a reading shall be done from the Apostle Paul, the first letter to the Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verses four through seven;

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Let us pray for the man and woman as they make their marriage vows." He raised his hands and bowed his head to being the prayer, "Father, as Mallorie and Roman pledge themselves to each other, help them and bless them that their love may be pure, and their vows may be true. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

"Amen." A few of the people in the pews answered back.

"Mallorie and Roman you have come together this day so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of this minister of His word and this community of family and friends and so, in the presence of this gathering, I ask you to state your intentions: Have you both come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to each other in marriage? If so, answer by saying 'I have'."

"I have." Mallorie breathlessly answered, trying to slow her breathing and control her emotions that were starting to overcome her.

"I have." Roman declared proudly. He smiled to his bride hoping to help calm some of her tears.

"Roman please take the ring you have selected for Mallorie. As you place it on her finger, repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed." The pastor waited for Roman to find the ring in order to continue the ceremony. Roman turned around to Niko who had reached into his jacket pocket to pull out the two wedding bands Roman had purchased. The audible gasp from Mallorie confirmed to him that she still had no idea about the wedding bands. Roman slipped his into one of her hands and lifted her left hand in order to place the ring against the engagement ring he had purchased for her.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Roman repeated the words as he slipped on the diamond encrusted band that matched her engagement ring on her finger. Her eyes immediately darted down to see the set in its full glory resting on her ring finger. More tears escaped down her cheeks as the ring sparkled in the dappled light from the large stained glass windows.

"Mallorie, please take the ring you have selected for Roman. As you place it on his finger, repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." Her voice trembled as she shakily slipped on the simple gold band onto Roman's left ring finger.

"As you have exchanged your rings today, you are also reinforcing your faithful commitment to trust, love, and romance. Each ring serves as a constant reminder that you are loved. Your beloved is giving you the most precious gift on earth through love." He moved from behind the alter to stand before the couple. He reached for both of their left hands and folded them together, so that they were holding their newly ringed hands together.

"Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder. In so much as Mallorie and Roman have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, having given and pledged their faith, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of rings, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." He released their hands and clasped his own together over his chest. He prayed internally that the two would be able to hold on to this powerful love for the years to come.

Mallorie gave a watery laugh as Roman's hands slid around her frame. He dove right in and kissed her soundly on the lips, tilting her head to the side in order to deepen it. He released her lips and crashed her body to his and held on to her in a passionate hug. She squeezed him back just as hard before leaning out of his embrace to jump up and down in place with her overwhelming delight shining through. Loud, joyous music started to blare from the large organ to begin the procession out of the church.

Roman reached for her face and gently brushed away the few tears that continued to tumble down from her eyes. She had chosen to wear her contacts today and he was enjoying the new look. He smiled for her as she searched his eyes as if looking for something that would have changed his mind about her. "I choose you, love." He whispered to her as the room was filled with shouts of congratulations and thunderous applause.

"And I choose you Roman." They kissed once more before turning to face their friends and family. She felt him tug her closer and wrap his warm arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his body and let out a long breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. They had made it. They were wed. And now the only thing facing her was having to tell them about their little miracle growing insider her.

"YES!" Roman loudly exclaimed as he threw his free arm up over his head as a sign of victory. The people who they were closest to, continued to clap and cheer as they stood up from their seats. Little Jacob whistled loudly as a couple of his friends gave shouts of happiness. Brucie kept flexing his arms and screaming his head off in his own way of congratulating his friend. Bernie wiped the tears from his own face and stood up yelling "Bravo! Bravo!"

Together the pair began the first few steps as a newly married couple down the aisle. Mallorie clung to his body as more tears spilled down her already damp face, lifting her hand to rest over his heart. Roman tightly kept her to him to help comfort her and support her as she leaned heavily into him. They moved toward the first row of pews and turned to accept the hug from Bernie who threw himself at them. Bernard patted Roman’s back before his phone started ringing and he excused himself to stand by the further end of the pew to answer the call.

Niko moved forward toward Kate as she walked closer to the center of the aisle. Her eyes sparkled with all the unshed tears she wanted to release. He held his hand out for her when she was within reach and she greedily took it with her left hand. He lifted their joined hands to his lips and kissed the knuckle of her ring finger, the one that would one day host her own wedding ring. He quickly winked to her as her eyes widened with the gesture.

"Oh _Niko_!" Kate breathed out as she caught the more hidden message behind the kiss.

"Yes Лепа ( _Lepa)_." He smirked as a fierce blush overtook the pale skin of her face.

"Did you? Do you? Um." She shook her head slightly trying to get her brain to work properly and form a coherent sentence.

"Cat got your tongue?" He chuckled as she flushed a new shade of red under his penetrating eyes.

"Something like that." She placed her free hand over her forehead swiped at the few loose strands of hair that continued to brush against her eyebrows, "Or maybe I am just lost for words on you." She smiled with her words and turned to see that Roman and Mallorie had moved down another row and was getting many hugs and high fives from Little Jacob and Badman, Bernie had decided to follow along behind them, his rifle now resting across his back.

"I could teach you some new words? Maybe enrich that vocabulary you have." His smirk turned darker and it always caused her knees to weaken.

"Niko! We are in a church. Behave yourself." She lightly slapped his shoulder and felt the heat start to pool between her legs with the way he was undressing her with his eyes, "I did have Bernie bring your car, so that we could _ride_ together to the reception hall." She had to cough to clear her suddenly hot throat and face. ' _What is wrong with you?!'_

"Now who needs to behave." He leaned forward and whispered the words against the shell of her ear before lightly kissing it. Her words had started to warm his blood and he was looking forward to getting her into the Infernus. Maybe he would be able to find a darkened alley between here and the place Mallorie had rented out for the reception party.

A small tremor ran the length of the floor and had Niko been less observant he might have missed it. He glanced behind him to see if the pastor had felt it too.

"What the?" Kate asked as a few tiny pieces of ruble and dust fell into her hair and on her face. She released Niko's hand in order to brush away some of it that had gotten close to her eyes. That's when another slightly stronger tremor shook the entire stone building. The noise immediately halted inside the cathedral, including the organ music, as everyone glanced around to one another.

"Heh. God must really approve of the marriage if he is making the ground dance." The pastor joked lightly as he moved down the steps toward one of the backdoors to see if anyone else outside had felt the light shaking of the ground.

Then a muffled explosion sounded, followed by a more powerful one that sounded much too close for comfort and the entire building rocked. Kate stumbled backwards away from Niko as the ground lifted before dropping back down. The thrust of the movement from the floor forced her to lose her footing and she collapsed down to her backside. Niko fought to stay upright, but eventually lost against the constant shaking beneath him, and fell down to his hands and knees.

"Earthquake!" Someone screamed terrified from the crowd of people.

"Niko!" Bernard yelled from his spot on the floor by the pew he used to be sitting on during the ceremony, phone up to his ear, and a panicked look across his features. He chucked the rifle Niko's direction in hopes that he would grab hold of it, "That's no earthquake!"

The sounds of explosions grew closer, rattling the windows, and causing pieces of the roof to fall to the stone floor. People screamed out in terror as larger parts rained down from the ceiling as the shaking continued to slowly tear the building apart. Glass fractured in place as the walls were shifted back and forth. Then what sounded like a train derailing- twisting metal, bricks smashing, and glass shattering rushed toward the church.

Kate frantically looked around as she was lightly tossed against the ground with every new quake the ground provided. Francis was desperately trying to make his way to her and was technically closer to her than Niko was. The noise was unbearable, and she covered her ears as some kind of roar tore through the windows of the church causing shards of the stained glass windows to shatter from their place. She covered her head best she could with her arms and tucked her legs to her body. Glass rained down around her and Francis and shattered into millions of little sharp pieces as they struck the ground.

Niko grabbed his rifle and pulled it closer to him as a large chunk of stone collapsed from the upper balcony near him. It would have mangled the rifle beyond repair had it landed on top of it. He had to roll back toward the dais as another piece fell down where he had been laying. He scrambled to his knees in time to see the ceiling spiderweb crack right down the middle. He snapped his eyes to the middle aisle trying to see where Roman and Mallorie had ended up and couldn't see anyone as they had all ducked into the pews for cover.

The smell greeted him first before the exterior wall closest to him exploded inward in a large fireball. Stones were launched everywhere and the enormous _boom_ that followed a split second later caused the collapse of the upper balcony. A high pitched ringing drowned out the chaos around him as his ears popped from the decibels the explosion created.

The floor shook so violently that he was powerless to move out of the way of the flames, debris, or force that was thrust against his body. His sight landed on Kate’s frightened eyes and Francis’ concerned look before the floor beneath them gave way and they disappeared from his sight before his world went dark. 


	10. Out of Commission Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up your seatbelts because this going to be one wild and crazy rollercoaster folks! You’ve been warned!

There were few times in his life where he could remember being this disoriented. In fact, he could count on his right hand the number of times he couldn’t remember how he got somewhere and the confusion that followed while his brain worked to catch up. Everything felt sluggish and like he was back in the Adriatic swimming to the shores of Italy. Distant sounds of gunfire, shouts, and quickly approaching footsteps echoed around in his head causing a dull throb to form behind his eyes. His body was heavy, and he realized it was due to something pressing down on him.

“ _Niko-! Niko come on!”_ The voice seemed so far away, and he just wanted to tumble back into the oblivion that had its grip upon him. The throbbing got worse and he let out a low groan, reaching up to clamp his hands over his ears. There was a static that kept trying to drown out the noise and it created a small headache to form. He squeezed his eyes shut and slapped his hands over them, rubbing harshly, causing small dots to appear behind his eyelids.

“Niko. Now is not the time. Shit!” There was a scuffling of sorts followed by a loud _bang bang_.

Niko’s eyes shot open to the blurry sight before him. His instincts were kicking into overdrive and the fight for survival overtook the pain that was radiating in his body. He could barely make out Bernie who was in a heated battle with someone who held a knife and pistol. There was a flurry of punches and blocks, each one trying to gain the upper hand. The blood roared behind his ears and he trembled with the way the world spun before his eyes. He tried to roll from his back to his side and his knee struck something solid. He glanced down to see a slab of concrete was partially laying over his leg. As if seeing it caused it, the stinging bite flashed through his body, and he felt the air leave his lungs in a rush.

“Ugh!” Bernie stumbled back with the force of a kick and lost his footing, tripping over a few loose stones that littered the cracked and crumbling floor. The man attacking him wasted no time and jumped him, attempting to jab his serrated knife into Bernie’s chest. Bernie forced the last few ounces of strength into his arms to hold the sharp tip off of him, but he knew if he didn’t shift away soon, he would lose the battle.

Niko forced himself to roll over to his side, ignoring the stabbing sensation in his leg and jerked himself free from the debris. Autopilot kicked in and he lunged at the man on top of Bernie, tackling him off to the side. Bernie rolled over to his knees once he was free and grabbed the pistol that had been knocked to the side, taking aim toward the two struggling around on the ground.

“Niko _move now!_ ” Florian shouted once he had a clear shot. Niko immediately shoved off the person and stumbled into another large slab of concrete and stone, slumping down toward the ground in pain. The gunshots rang out and forced Niko to cover his ears at the discomfort it caused him. His vison swam briefly and darkened before clearing back to the scene around him. He sucked in air greedily and felt the burn all the way down his throat to his lungs.

“ _Shit. Hang on.”_ The Serbian was easier on his brain than the distant shouting in English and Russian he could make out. There was a heavy fog that hung around in his mind and it was getting difficult to stay focused. He blearily looked up as Bernie sluggishly moved over to the unmoving body and shot once more, the body jerking at the impact of the bullet, ceasing the breathing he could make out. Bernie was slightly hunched over, gasping for air, and he could see his arm was bleeding through the dirty and wrinkled suit jacket. He turned toward him and held a look of disgust before schooling his features.

“ _Fucker just wouldn’t die. Let me look at that.”_ He hobbled over to Niko and sank down to his knees in front of him, “ _Your leg was pinned. I was trying to free you before more of them showed up.”_ He reached behind him and pulled Niko’s assault rifle around, lifting it up over his body placing it down on the floor, bringing it closer to be within reach for protection. His pistol was slid back showing it was out of bullets and useless to them at the moment, and Bernie discarded it down next to the rifle. He let out a heavy sigh and placed his hands on Niko’s leg around his knee to start inspecting it.

“ _What’s going on?”_ Niko couldn’t find the strength to translate or attempt to speak any other language but their own. Everything was screaming in pain and his stomach pitched violently as a new wave of agony crashed down on him. He gagged slightly and went to grab at his leg that was searing. His mind kept sliding in and out of lucid thoughts and he tried to figure out where they were and why there was a bunch of gunfire around them.

“ _Don’t touch it!”_ Bernie grabbed his hands before he could clutch at the open wound, “ _I need to make sure it’s not worse than it looks. Keep watch.”_ Bernie’s medical mind was taking over and he could tell Niko’s leg had taken a rather nasty hit. He had found him pinned under a large piece of rubble by the destroyed dais. He had managed to duck under one of the large oak pews when the exterior wall collapsed into the cathedral. He at first thought it was a rare earthquake, but the distant sounds of explosions, that rapidly approached them, told him it was no earthquake. Right before taking his own shelter, he shoved at Roman and Mallorie to get into one of the aisles of pews across from him. It was the last he saw of them before coming to under a couple of pews that had been shoved together in the blast.

He jumped awake to the sound of gunfire and rolled over to grab at his own weapons. That’s when he noticed Niko’s rifle next to him and immediately started looking for his comrade, slinging the rifle around his body. Niko had been closer to the blast radius, along with Kate, Francis, and the IAA agent whose name he never got. He dodged bullets and falling debris, working his way to where he figured the dais to be, and where he hoped to find his friends alive. That’s when he ran into a few nasty Russian’s who immediately tried to shoot at him. He easily eliminated them using the rifle he had received at the hospital, emptying the magazine into their bodies. He dislodged the spent magazine and was in the middle of reloading when someone attacked him from behind, who stabbed his arm in the process. They had fought hand to hand, Bernie pulling the knife free from his upper arm and using it to slice open the throat of the man attacking him.

The sight of the blood should have repulsed him, but it didn’t. The gurgling should have made his skin crawl, but it didn’t. The way the body twitched before going still should have made him sick, but it caused a smirk to tug at his lips.

He ignored the pull of his stab wound and reloaded his rifle before moving on toward the smoking debris pile. For being almost the middle of the day, it was slightly dark inside the partially destroyed church. He blamed the fires that continued to burn around them, making black smoke billow up to block out the sunshine from above. He neared where he last knew Niko to be and saw that most of the raised platform and floor in front of the dais had collapsed into itself and left a large sunken chasm that was backfilled with rubble from the ceiling and stone arch way that held the second floor up. He panicked at the sight of it and called out hoping to hear someone respond, silently praying that no one had been crushed in the collapse. Instead, his shout alerted more enemies to where he was, and he had to take cover from the gunfire.

Where he ducked into happened to be where Niko was laying unconscious. Between returning fire and dropping those attacking him, he tried to wake his friend, calling his name to rouse him. He was running low on ammo and could use an extra person to help fight back. Dropping the now empty rifle to the ground he removed his pistol from the back of his pants and stood up killing the last person he could see. Niko had groaned and caught his attention. The distraction was enough to get himself hit. The bullets struck the bullet proof vest he had on and the pain that erupted from the impact zone caused him to stumble away from Niko.

Thankfully, his comrade had come to and jumped to his rescue. ‘ _Some friend I must be… Coming to save him only for him to end up saving my own life again…’_ He shook his head clear of the thoughts and how his mind was just running away from him. It had been years since he had been in a warzone, and he was glad for the distance he placed between himself and violence. Now he was right back in the thick of things and stuck in a burning, crumbling church fighting to stay alive. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand and slightly turned Niko’s leg to the side to see how deep the gash looked, “ _Your leg doesn’t look or feel broken, but there is a rather large gash. I can cover it best I can, but it won’t do to leave it for long. The blood loss will eventually catch up to you.”_ He mumbled out immediately removing his suit jacket and knife. He wished he had more proper first aid supplies, but he would have to make do with what was available.

“ _Speak- Speak for yourself. Your arm looks bad.”_ Niko blinked several times to clear his vision and noticed the large slice that was freely bleeding on Bernie’s upper arm, staining the white dress shirt. His leg was starting to dully throb, and he fought to keep himself awake and alert. 

“ _I’ll get to it in a second. Be glad that none of the major arteries were severed. We’d be in bigger trouble then.”_ Bernie cut the sleeves off of the suit jacket and worked one of them around Niko’s leg, just above the knee, and tied it off firmly, “ _Sorry. I’m sure it hurts like hell, but I need to slow the flow of blood. We need to get out of here- or at least get to a safer space. I don’t trust the floor we are on.”_ He glanced up to see Niko slightly nodding off, “Hey!” He lightly patted his cheek to get him to refocus.

“ _Sorry! Sorry. I can’t seem to snap out of it.”_ He reached up to his head and rubbed at his temples. He closed his eyes and tried to recall what was going on. He could remember parts of the ceremony. Listening to Roman speak of his love for Mallorie, watching as they happily embraced and began to walk down the aisle, newly married… then… “KATE!” he jerked forward off the concrete he was resting against and looked around him wildly. He needed to find her _now._ His heartrate skyrocketed and the adrenaline washed away the immediate pain that was keeping him immobile. He tried to shove Bernie away from him and get to his feet, only to falter and slump back down to the floor.

“Calm yourself! And keep your voice low!” Bernie hissed at him, grabbing Niko’s rifle next to them, and turning to look back the way he came hoping that no one heard them. “This place is a damn warzone. Too many people want us dead. We need to fight our way out of here. I haven’t found anyone else yet. And from what I can tell there is more fighting going on around us.” He gripped the front of Niko’s suit jacket and lightly shook it to get him to see reason. The occasional gunshot would ring out around them, shouting in multiple languages would follow, and then the noise would start up again. “We need to be careful. I only have so much ammo.” He glared at his comrade hoping to keep him in line.

“Help me up. We have to find the others.” Niko’s demeanor shifted back into old habits and he closed off the worried part of his brain. He would find Kate and his cousin- they would be okay, and he would kill whoever dared threaten them. He was starting to remember bits and pieces of what took place to cause them to end up in their current situation. There was some kind of explosion or earthquake. His mind replayed what it could recall, and he was as starting to piece it all together quickly. He sucked in a deep breath and immediately regretted it. The smoke was thick in the air and he coughed harshly. “Fuck!”

“Take it easy Niko. This place is on fire and falling apart around us.” Bernie started to pat his back to help with the coughing fit, “I don’t know how well you will be able to walk on your injured leg, but we need to try.” The movement of his arm caused him to realize he had yet to tend to his own wounds. He placed the rifle down in Niko’s lap and went to work on bandaging his bleeding arm. ‘ _Won’t be any good in battle if I injure myself further…’_

“Do you know what happened?” Niko forced himself to slow his breathing and try to not inhale too much of the smoke. He figured that’s why his eyes were slightly burning and he took the moment to take in his surroundings. The church was hardly recognizable. They were surrounded in random sized chunks of stone, concrete, and wood. He could smell something burning as well as some other horrid smell that wafted through the space and assaulted his nose. ‘ _Definitely not just an earthquake. This place looks like it was blown up, not shaken apart.’_

“Some kind of explosion, there is too much fire for just an earthquake. _Reminds me of the nightly raids we did. Not sure what caused it yet. All I’ve seen is this._ ” He gestured around them with his chin as he knotted the sleeve over his stab wound. He was starting to follow along with the same thinking as his friend- things were too far off and out of place for it to just be a random natural occurrence. He lowered his voice and went back to their native language. He wasn’t sure who all could hear them, and he felt safer keeping their conversation somewhat private.

“ _And you haven’t seen anyone else?_ ” Niko rubbed at his temples again as the situation was starting to settle over him. They were in a bad spot that was slowly getting worse the longer they stayed put. He was trying to not focus on how panicked he felt about not knowing where Kate and Roman were. He couldn’t shake the image of her terrified eyes disappearing from view as the floor gave way. His heart was hammering away in his chest and he closed his eyes trying to get himself to settle and find his center. ‘ _Don’t get carried away. She will be okay. Just stay focused on what you can control.’_

“ _Only these assholes._ ” Bernie gestured toward the dead body closest to them and winced as he sat up straighter on the cracked floor. His chest squeezed painfully, and he involuntarily grabbed at it. “Good thing I had this on…” His voice trailed off as he looked down to the bullet proof vest that rested over his chest, his fingers absently rubbing over the mangled metal of the bullets.

“What?” Niko cracked his eyes open to see that two bullets had impacted the vest Bernie wore. One would have been a kill shot, the other would have caused damage, but he would’ve lived so long as he got medical help quickly. He frowned at the sight of it and felt his anger come to life. He usually kept a decent hold on his anger, but he was starting to think it was about time to just let it consume him. To let it take over and guide him in getting everyone out and alive. The fury worked its way through his veins and dulled the pain that radiated all over his body, his hands shook where they gripped the rifle, and he felt a chill slide down his spine. No one else would be allowed to suffer today and he would be the hand that dealt the killing blow to his enemies. He was done letting things slide by. He was denied his revenge with Darko. He was almost kept from finding happiness. And he would be damned sure things started to go his way for once.

“That was closer than I thought.” Bernie mumbled, completely ignoring the internal battle that his friend was having and plucked the mangled bullets from the vest. He tossed them over toward the fresh corpse and frowned. That was a close call, and he would need to be more vigilant from here on out. He may have a partner now to navigate their way around, but he was in better shape than Niko. He could at least walk and hold his own, and he was unsure how well Niko would be able to move around.

The sound of approaching footsteps caused both of them to snap to attention. They reached for their weapons and turned to where they thought the person was approaching from. Bernie grabbed the last magazine he had on him out of his shredded suit jacket and reloaded his rifle, taking aim toward the only entrance to the alcove of debris they were using as cover. He spared one glance toward Niko to see he had mirrored his actions. His features were hard set and he stared unblinking toward where the steps echoed from. The steps got closer and they slid their fingers onto the triggers of their rifles and prepared to fire.

Bernard emerged from the smoke, holding his handkerchief over his mouth, and carrying a pistol at the ready. They all stared at one another for a second trying to determine if what they were seeing was real or not.

“ _I seek out those who wish to do us harm and to extinguish their fire.”_ Niko spoke out into the lull in noise, not removing his eyes from the person who stood before them. He was feeling dangerous and didn’t trust anyone in this moment. He spoke the words that he knew only Bernard would remember from their oath.

“ _To my dying breath, I take arms with my brethren.”_ Bernard answered back after a pause. He lowered his pistol and leaned heavily into the pile of stone next to him. He removed the cloth from his mouth and grabbed at his side where Niko and Bernie could see a fairly large red splotch forming on his dress shirt under his jacket.

“You’re hit!” Bernie stood up quickly and moved toward the man who had sworn an oath to them, tossing the strap of the rifle over his shoulder, letting it fall to his side. He carefully helped him into their cover and lowered him to sit on a pew that had survived the collapse of the wall. He immediately went to work on figuring out where the blood was coming from and how bad the damage was. ‘ _With this amount of blood, it doesn’t look good.’_

“It’s not bad but moving around isn’t helping it.” Bernard answered and tried to relax back into the wooden pew, “Any survivors?” He wiped away the trail of blood from the side of his face using the handkerchief where he had a small cut. He had yanked a piece of metal rebar from his side when he woke up and he was wishing he hadn’t now.

“I’ve only managed to find Niko.” Bernie answered somewhat distracted as he picked up his discarded suit jacket and wadded it up in order to make a suitable bandage and apply pressure to the open wound.

“I killed a few people who tried to attack me. I directed those who answered me on the radio to start search and rescue and to use lethal force on anyone who was trying to attack the church. Or. What’s left of it anyway.” He sucked in a sharp breath when Bernie pressed the cloth to the wound firmly. ‘ _Maybe it’s worse than I thought’_ His body shuddered in response to the new wave of pain. He tiredly looked over Niko and Bernie for wounds and realized they weren’t in perfect shape either. Things were getting more bleak by the minute.

“Do you know what happened to cause all this?” Niko struggled to get to his feet and felt his leg shake beneath him. He wasn’t in horrible shape, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to carry on if he didn’t get some real medical help soon. His dress pants felt damp around his knee where Bernie had patched him up and he could feel another wet spot on his other thigh. He looked down to see a piece of glass was embedded into the side of his thigh. ‘ _Great. This is going to hurt.’_

“The last communication I got was there was a natural gas main rupture down the street and was tearing a path toward the church. Then the wall exploded in on us. I came to in time to see a bunch of people rushing in through the open spaces and back door. I managed to kill some of them and link up with a few of my agents. They are still holding off the incoming enemies. I went in search of you. The radio isn’t working anymore. Might be a jammer or something present.” He was breathing heavily and was turning pale.

“Save your strength.” Bernie encouraged, he met Niko’s eyes and did his best to portray what he knew. Their friend was badly wounded, and he needed help quickly. He had found several mangled bullets embedded on the vest he wore and could only guess he had been punctured by something in the space not protected by the vest. The blood kept oozing out and his attempts at slowing it was futile. Niko tilted his head to the side slightly as if asking ‘ _how bad’_ and Bernie shook his head minutely in a negative motion. Then his eyes dropped to notice the shard of glass sticking out of Niko’s leg, “Niko! Don’t you dare pull that out!”

Niko ignored his warning and jerked the glass free, gasping at the new pain that slammed through him. He rested his rifle against the pile of debris and removed his own suit jacket, working on removing one of the sleeves to use as another makeshift bandage, “We are sitting ducks here and we need to find the others and get to safety.” His tone was flat, and it caused both Bernie and Bernard to glance at one another in concern.

“Niko. We are in no shape to fight back.” Bernie tried to reason with him while tending to the bleeding wound of their other friend, regardless of how he knew it wouldn’t do much to help. He knew that he was the only one without serious injuries. And while he was concerned for the rest of their friends, he had this sinking feeling that something much worse was about to happen. He was fighting with himself to keep from just sliding back into ‘Florian mode’ as he called it. 

“Well we can’t just wait for them to find us and kill us. Can you not hear the ongoing gunfire?” Niko knotted the torn off sleeve over his new leg wound and retrieved his rifle. He checked it over and flung the strap around his shoulder, “Plus I do not know where Kate or Roman are. They are the biggest target for Natalya. And I have no doubt that this is part of her plan. If we all didn’t die in the blast or ensuing fire, then her soldiers will finish the job. Yes?” He dislodged the magazine and checked the count of bullets before reloading it and clicking the firing mechanism to full auto. He turned his attention toward Bernie and Bernard waiting for their answer. He would not spare another minute in his search for his cousin and girlfriend. There were more pressing matters to attend to. And whether he liked it or not, he would carry on, on his own.

Bernard was paling further in his complexion and had multiple scrapes on his face and head, his clothes were dirty and disheveled, and his side wound was turning his normally black suit darker with blood. Bernie didn’t look much better. His dress shirt was mostly dirt free, but his arm that had been stabbed had turned the crisp white cloth bright red around the suit sleeve bandage. The vest had two indentions over his heart and there were a few splotches of blood on his face. Niko knew of his own injuries and what he would be capable of, but he wouldn’t risk Bernard’s life moving forward.

“More than likely yes.” Bernard answered after a moment or two passed. He could almost sense where Niko was going in his thought process. He took over for Bernie on holding the crumpled up suit jacket to his side. He knew things were not looking good and he was not lost on what to do- or more specifically, what needed to be done. They were largely outnumbered and running low on supplies. His radio wasn’t receiving signals or sending any out. The gunfire he could hear sounded to be getting closer and he knew they were running out of time. Their options were dim, and he swallowed at the realization.

His eyes met with Niko and he meticulously nodded to him with his unspoken answer. Sacrifices needed to be made and he would deal with the consequences later.

“Let’s get moving.” Niko turned toward the makeshift entrance and lifted his rifle into position. He fell back into what he knew and trusted, and approached on silent feet, sweeping his eyes and rifle back and forth- he would locate his girlfriend and cousin on his own. He didn’t need to waste any more time, and the longer it took to set eyes on them, the more his mind wanted to slip further into his burning rage.

“Niko! Wait!” Bernie was absolutely torn. He knew Niko wasn’t all there and the need to find the ones he held dear was driving him to move on, but he couldn’t leave their friend to bleed out.

“Go. _He will need you. I will be alright.”_ Bernard sucked in a shaky breath and nodded toward where Niko disappeared from their sights. He would stay put and wait for help. ‘ _If help is on the way…’_

“ _But! Your wound? I can’t leave you alone! That’s against my better judgement.”_ He frantically looked back and forth between his oath to help Niko and the more rational side that said if he left this man alone, he would more than likely die, and pass quickly.

“ _Go solider. Your captain needs you. That’s an order.”_ Bernard figured the only way to snap Bernie back into it would be to talk to him as if they were in a war, and really, they somewhat were at this point. If Niko was falling back into the fold, then maybe Bernie needed the same nudge. He moved his pistol to his lap and adjusted his hold on the suit jacket. Bernie turned abruptly back to him with the tone and watched as his eyes widened in stunning clarity.

“ _It was an honor to fight alongside you.”_ Bernie offered before shifting his rifle back to his front. He placed a fist over his heart and thumped it twice before standing up and taking off after Niko. He felt sick leaving the man behind, but maybe he would be able to locate help for him, and at the same time, protect his friend from getting himself killed. And more importantly find the rest of his friends alive and mostly unharmed. He let go of the internal barrier and let his instincts guide him. His face dropped and he drew on the feelings and knowledge he obtained back in the wars. Florian was back.

Bernard watched them disappear from his sight and looked up toward the ceiling. His eyes landed on a statue of Jesus nailed to the cross that somehow managed to survive the destruction. It was slightly charred from the fireball that had torn through the building and he smirked at seeing it relatively unharmed. “You know. Now would be a great time for a miracle.” He whispered out in the space he had found Niko and Bernie in. Gunshots rang out randomly around him and he tried his best to ignore it. His body was going into shock and he knew it. His fingers were tingling from blood loss and he was sweating, even though he felt cold. “Just watch out for them, will you?”

His phone started to ring in his pocket, and he put all his strength into answering it, it could be his only chance at getting some help. The caller ID caused his eyebrows to raise unexpectedly, “How unlike you to call…”

aaaaaa

She had never felt this tired before in her life, and for once she couldn’t feel her body, or the bed she was used to sleeping in. Normally she’d blame it off on drinking too much with Packie or it was her body’s way of not dying from utter embarrassment when she would have one too many while out with Niko. Her mind tried to reason with her that this was not the case. That something else had caused her to black out. But she shoved the thoughts to the side to try and get some more sleep. And for once her mind let it be.

“Katie? Katie? Where are you?” Francis called out into the darkness. He had awoken to the feel of something dripping onto his face and it got his mind racing on how he had ended up where he was. There was hardly any light to go by and his cell phone only provided a dim glow. Once he could make out some of his surroundings, he immediately recognized it as one of the many storage rooms in the basement of the church. He did a once over of his body to make sure nothing was broken or bleeding too much. Satisfied that there were only a few scrapes here and there he slowly got to his feet to try and locate his sister.

He could smell something slightly burning and knew that the longer he stayed put and underground his chances for survival grew more grim. He reached up and activated his gps distress beacon. Every high ranking member of the police force had one built into one of their stars that graced the collar of their dress shirt. With the increase in terrorist activity in the city, they had implanted this technology to help locate those that were considered high risk targets. Firefighters also had something similar on their uniform incase something happened to them when they entered a burning building. It was a distress signal of sorts and gave the rescue team a chance to locate them.

He shifted through some of the rubble that had fallen down with them. He could remember the floor giving way beneath him before everything went fuzzy. He reached up to rub at some of the wetness he could feel still on his head and brought his hand up to his face in the small light from his cell phone. His hand came away covered in blood. ‘ _Not good…’_ There was a dull throb in his head, but otherwise he was fine. He took in a fortifying breath and tried to locate his sister once more. They needed to get out of there quickly. The smoke was starting to collect along the stone ceiling of the storage room.

“Kate? Come on. I need some direction here. Can you answer me? _Please_?” He used the wall to help guide him further into the space and away from the large pile of stone, metal, and wood that had been the cathedral floor. He turned his phone to shine the light into the room and finally could make out exactly where he was. Books lined the back wall along the dusty bookshelves. Old oil lamps were knocked over on one of the tables close to him and he went to work on lighting one. He opened the glass compartment door and adjusted the wick height in order to provide more light. He searched his pockets for a lighter. He normally didn’t smoke anymore and rarely carried a lighter on him. He glanced around the table and saw a few long matches that weren’t too damaged. Striking one on the surface of the table he held the flame to the wick and prayed that it wasn’t too dried out or that there was enough oil to keep it going for the foreseeable future.

The wick ignited and cast light into the cramped small storage room. Francis shook out the match and discarded it to the table, quickly shutting the glass door to the lamp and placing it down to the table. “Thank God it works.” He mumbled out and squinted his eyes against the bright light that now illuminated the room. He let out a long sigh once his eyes landed on the damage to the room. One side of it was in shambles- piles of broken stone and wood towered up the side of the cracked wall and disappeared into the ceiling, where they had fallen through. A large slab of stone blocked off the view of where he assumed the cathedral was.

One of the tables that was close to the pile was broken in half and he could see a hand sticking out from the crease. His heart jumped up into his throat and he rushed over toward it, noticing the feminine look to the fingers. His eyes landed on his unconscious sister and he dropped to his knees. She was on her side in between the two pieces of broken table. He could see a gash along her hairline that seemed to be slowing down in bleeding. He placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her, for which he got no response.

“Okay. Okay. She is at least breathing.” He could see a faint rise and fall to her body and knew she was at minimum alive. Carefully he maneuvered around the splintered table and crumbled stone to slide his arms under her body and lift her up into his arms. She fell limply against his body and he shifted her into a better hold, before moving her away from the sharp edges of the table and the stone. He gently laid her down on the cold, dirty stone floor and started to check her over for injuries. The blood from the head gash had stained the side of her face and neck and had started to seep into the cloth of her dress along her collarbone- which looked slightly out of place.

“Shit. This is going to hurt Kate. But I got to reset your arm.” He whispered out once he realized that her arm was dislocated and would need to be forced back into the socket. He glanced over her body for more pressing injuries and noticed that her legs had several scratches and cuts, but nothing too deep or critical. He also noticed that her heels were missing and figured they must have fallen off when they fell through the floor into the basement. Hoping to not wake her yet, he sat her up against him and moved to where he would have the best angle to shove the arm back into the socket. He paused when a thought crossed his mind and he reached up to his gps activated star and rubbed at it.

Kate felt like her body was moving of its own accord, which was a strange sensation to her, and it forced her mind to stir. The darkness was pleasant and comforting, for there was no pain, no heartache, no fear. Just nothingness that didn’t harm or help. Sounds were muffled and muted. There was no light to distract her worn out mindset. It felt oddly peaceful, but something was nudging at her. She felt something moving along her hip, sliding around her midsection and side, a sensation that triggered a couple of red flags and alarm bells. The image of the man pulling her shorts down to get his hand to her more private area flashed across her vision and all at once every nerve bloomed to life. 

Pain lanced across her body in a wild blaze and every single bruise, cut, injury, internal struggle raged against her. The fight or flight feeling soared to every fiber of her being and jump started her heartbeat into overdrive. She felt the scream bubble up from her lungs before letting it tear from her lips. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire and she jerked against the hold that held her in place causing another agony filled scream to leave her breathless. Tears burned behind her closed eyelids and she forced herself to see what was going on. There was a high pitched ringing in her ears that drowned out her cries and sounds from her surroundings.

“Katie! Katie calm down! _Please!_ It’s me! Francis! Your brother!” Her terrified, pain filled scream startled him so much that he almost lost his grip on her and he overcorrected- grabbing her arms tightly, which was a mistake, as it moved her dislocated arm forcefully, causing another agonizing cry to leave her lips. He shifted off of her best he could while still trying to keep her arm tucked to her body. He didn’t need the dislocation getting any worse or to cause any of her muscles to tear. He saw the stream of tears as the fell from her frightened eyes. “Katie, it’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.” He reasoned with her and tried to wipe some of the tears from her cheeks, one of her cheeks that was covered in blood from her head wound only smeared it worse and he slightly grimaced at the sight of it.

“Frankie?” She croaked out, looking around frantically to get her bearings. She was on the verge of hyperventilating and her body was trying to process everything rapidly. There was hardly any light where they were, and she couldn’t really see anything through the tears that kept obscuring her vision. Her hands shook violently, and she clenched them shut to try and still the movement. Her shoulder was intensely hurting, and it caused her stomach to roll and the taste of bile to form in her mouth.

She thought she saw a bookshelf out of the corner of her eye and her mind attempted to lock her back into the memory of Gerry and Francis’ fight that took place in the living room of their home. The brutal pummeling into Francis face and head from Gerry’s fists as blood flew across the room and struck the furniture and walls. She sucked in a shaky breath and forced herself to look back to her brother to make sure he was still alive and with her. He had a little blood on his face and his hair was matted down and looked to be caked in it. Raw fear slammed to the forefront of her jumbled emotions and she barely managed to form his name when she spoke, “ _Frankie?!”_

He could see how her eyes slightly dilated when she truly looked to him and he knew in an instant she wasn’t all there with him. He dropped her arms and cupped her face and forced her to look to his eyes and turned them more toward the light from the oil lamp, “Kate. Breath with me. I can’t tell you everything is okay because it’s not. But I need to you to be here with me. We are at the church. There was some kind of earthquake and we fell into the basement. I think your arm is dislocated and I need to pop it back into place. You will feel slightly better once I do. Okay?” He kept his voice level and forced his own tremor down. ‘ _Maybe she has an internal head injury and is about to go into shock on me…’_

“Okay. _Okay_.” She whispered over and over again as she forced the bile back down her throat. ‘ _I’m at the church. He said something about an earthquake?!’_ Her eyes darted around the room again not recognizing it at all. Confusion won out over her panic and she turned her attention back to her brother, “Where are we? This doesn’t look like the church. Where is Niko? Roman? Mal?! _OhmyGod_ Frankie! We have to find her! She is _pregnant_!” Her hands started shaking again and she went to cup them together before her shoulder lit up again with pain and caused her to almost throw up at the sensation.

“Woah! Slow down there. One thing at a time, okay?” He moved with her and tucked her arm back into a more protected position, “I need to get your shoulder back into place. It’s going to hurt but will stop once it goes into the socket.” He kept his one hand on her injured arm to stop it from moving too much and searched his belt for something for her to bite down on. He pulled free his pepper spray bottle and removed the leather carrying case. He held it out for her to take with her uninjured arm, “You will want to bite down on something. It’s not going to feel pleasant.” He glanced to her face for permission.

“Just make it quick. I feel like I’m going to throw up with the amount of pain that’s coming from it.” She whimpered slightly when he moved around to get the pepper spray. She took the offered leather case and brought it up to her mouth, “Francis I swear you better get this on the first try.” She bit down into the tough leather and closed her eyes waiting for the excruciating pain to form. She had never dislocated something before and prayed to never have it happen again.

“I’m sorry in advance.” He set her up more fully and pinned her legs down with his own as he practically knelt on her lap and slightly bear hugged her. He adjusted her arm and winced at every small whimper that made it past the pepper spray case in her mouth. Once he got her arm and body into position, he took a deep breath, “I’m going to count to three. Just. Don’t hit me below the belt.” He smirked at her startled laugh and shoved the dislocated section back into place feeling it _pop_ back into the correct socket.

She screamed at the sensation of her bones grinding together before the utter relief washed through her. She grabbed the front of his uniform jacket to steady the tremor that shook her whole body, as a cold sweat broke out across her skin. “Fucking hell Francis!” She let out a long breath and leaned into him. She focused on breathing and fighting the urge to throw up.

He moved off of her and pulled her into a better hug, letting her rest against him, “Yeah I know. Try doing that by yourself using just a wall. It ain’t pretty.” He chuckled as he remembered having to do it a couple of times when he was younger and had gotten into a fight with Gerry and or Derrick.

“I can’t even imagine. Don’t want to.” She tucked herself into the crook of his neck and willed herself to shop shaking. The pain was still there, even if it was dull, but it was starting to subside. She felt him start to rub her back soothingly and forced the tears to stop falling, “Thank you.” Her body started to cool off and she shivered at the sensation.

“No problem. Now, to answer some of your other questions. I think there was an earthquake. _I think_. I don’t remember much once the floor gave way or really how it fell apart. I just know we woke up here in the records storage room.” He glanced around the small space and grew slightly concerned at the amount of smoke that was starting to seep between the cracks of the ceiling. He couldn’t smell burning wood or anything anymore, but he would need to get them moving soon.

“And how do you know we are in a records storage room?!” She untucked herself from his hug and gave him a quizzical look before looking around the room for herself. She saw the cave in where they must have fallen through, a few tables scattered around, one which held the light source, and a dirty, cobweb covered looking bookshelf. She never knew the church had lower levels to it. Then again, she only spent time in the cathedral for service and funerals. This was probably the longest duration she had ever spent in the building. Carefully she untangled herself from her brother and turned to face the bookshelf more, fascinated by the varying size of books that lined the shelfs. 

“I was an altar boy a lifetime ago, remember? I used to have to look up random information for the Cardinal when he would visit. This is where births, deaths, marriages, confirmations, and various other records are kept. It’s also where the collection box is kept before the deposit is filled out and dropped off to the bank.” He smirked at the memories and rose to his feet, lightly shifting her to sit as comfortably as she could on the ground. He held his hands out to his sister after he adjusted his uniform and helped her to her feet. Once he was sure she could stand up on her own, he walked over to the far wall and ran his fingers along the spine of a rather large leather book. He tilted his head slightly lost in thought before moving on to a different book.

“Oh. I probably wasn’t born when you were an alter boy Frankie. There are seventeen years between us. And my earliest memories of you are when you no longer wanted to be part of the church and wanted to be in law enforcement. Or something like that.” She watched her brother look over the books on the shelf. There was a fairly large gap between them in age and a lot more unknown about one another. She was too young when he moved out and he stayed connected infrequently throughout her life. Only stopping in for milestone events and the unfortunate deaths that befell the family. Her body shook slightly at being on her feet and her head spun faintly. She noticed a toppled over chair by the table with the lamp and shuffled over to it to be able to get off her feet.

“I forget sometimes.” He mused before finding the book he was looking for. He pulled on it and heard the loud click of the hidden door unlocking. He stepped back as the counterweight dropped and the shelf popped forward slightly. He opened the secret door and smiled at the fairly large collection chest that sat in the small hidden space. ‘ _Still in the same place after all these years...’_ He moved inside the room and moved the chest away from its spot and revealed a large metal first aid kit and a couple of bottles of water tucked into a hole in the stone floor.

“Francis?” Kate called out when her brother moved into the secret room. She was somewhat surprised that he knew exactly where they were and where things were hidden. Clearly there was more to her older brother than the badge and slightly condescending attitude he held toward their brothers. Her head began to hurt, and she buried her face into her hands. She felt dirty and tired and couldn’t bring herself to care about make up, hairdos, or looking presentable anymore. She could only image how bad she looked, and it only soured her mood more. Her heart thumped strongly at the thought of Niko finding her like this. ‘ _Would he freak out? Or would he try to force me to get checked out by a doctor? I could really go for some aspirin for this damn headache…’_

“Coming. There is always a first aid kit in this room because you never know what kind of crap is left on paper money and heaven forbid you get a papercut, and it was laced with some kind of drug or disease. At least that’s what the pastor always said. I think it’s in here for other reasons. Can’t always trust what people tell you at face value. Many a time I’d find someone down here doing Lord knows what. Anyway. I need to check out that gash. It doesn’t look good.” He moved back into the room carrying the metal first aid box and noticed she had sat down in a chair at the table with the burning oil lamp. He shoved the hidden door closed with his foot and headed over toward his sister.

“Gash?” She glanced up between her hands to her brother before leaning on one of her hands that was propped up on the table. Her other arm tucked back toward her body as if she were scared to move it around more since it was recently dislocated. She wiped absently on her cheek trying to see if she could feel the gash he was talking about.

“Yeah…” He moved over to the table to place the metal box down on the surface with the two bottles of water. He picked up another chair that was knocked over and sat down next to her, “You don’t feel that?” He cautiously pointed to the fairly large cut along her hairline. Her hair was still mostly held back into the intricate braided crown, but the few wisps of hair that framed her face was slicked down on her skin with drying blood. He tore his gaze away from the injury and opened the metal box hoping that the supplies inside had been restocked and were useable. ‘ _Going to at least clean it up some and see just how bad of an injury it is. Then we need to get out of this room before the oxygen runs out…’_

“No? How bad is it? The only thing bothering me right now is my shoulder, my wrists, and my stomach. I feel kind of weak and like I’m having an out of body experience honestly.” She leaned back into the chair and studied her brother closely. The dim light in the room hid most of his injuries from her but she could still see that he had his own head wound that needed tending to. His uniform was mostly still put together, even if most of the ribbons, medals, and his badge were slightly crooked. His collar was slightly undone, and his tie was pulled loose.

“Just uh. You might be in shock or something. Let me at least clean it and make sure nothing else is worse.” He scooted the chair closer to her and pulled out a clean looking cloth from the box. Just as he was about to open one of the bottles, the faint sound of gunfire echoed out to them. He paused and squinted his eyes as if it would help him recognize the sound. When the sound reached his ears again, he knew in an instant that something very wrong was going on someplace else in the church.

“Did you- did you hear that?” Kate looked around the room trying to figure out what it was. Her head still felt like it was underwater, and she figured that whatever injury her brother was about to clean was the cause of it. She glanced back to her brother who looked frozen in place. “Francis?” Her voice grated against her suddenly dry mouth and throat.

“Kate. I have the feeling what we experienced was not an earthquake…” _‘The smoke, the collapse of the floor, why there isn’t any major damage to this room other than what was caused in the collapse…’_ His mind was reeling now, and it set him on edge. His hands trembled that held the cloth and the water bottle. His sister was with him, which meant everyone else up above them was probably involved in the shooting that was now escalating in volume. He was the last line of defense for his one and only sister. That thought sent a dangerous chill down his spine. There was no way of knowing if Niko was alive or not. Or for that matter if anyone else was alive. ‘ _Or who is shooting…’_

There was muffled shouting and more gunfire, and what sounded like stones being shifted around. He looked toward the door to the room and then to the ceiling where the smoke was somewhat receding back into the cracks that littered the façade. He may recognize the room, but he was having trouble remembering how to get to this room the normal way. There was a labyrinth of halls, rooms, and even tombs where high ranking members of the church were laid to rest. He would need to figure out the safest escape route, and fast, as the noise around them continued to escalate.

“Then what?” She whispered at the panicked look Francis was now sporting. The sound was getting more intense and louder now and she shook her head to try and clear up some of the fuzziness that clouded it. It was like a television was on, set to a channel of nothing but static. She tried to clear her throat but the burn that followed caused her to cough. She grabbed one of the bottles of water and took a swing from it. The water cooled the burn, but it caused her ears to pop slightly at the change. The recognizable sound of gunfire registered in her head and immediately her heartrate quickened. She swiveled around in the chair to stare at the only door in the room and wished she could just barricade them inside to keep whoever was shooting from getting to them.

“We need to move now. We have to get out of here as quickly as possible. That’s gunfire. Those damn Russian’s must have attacked the church. Come on Kate. I have to get you someplace safe.” He stood up quickly and dropped the items back into the first aid kit, her injury would have to wait for now. He removed his sidearm and flipped the safety off before moving back over to where they had left the pepper spray on the ground. He bent over and picked it back up, clicking it back to its rightful place on his belt, and moved over to his sister. He held his hand out to her urgently and hardened his features to let her know he wasn’t kidding around.

“Francis you’re freaking me. Are we not safer here?” She took his hand anyway and allowed him to haul her to her feet. The floor was cold under her bare feet and she wished that she still had her heels on. Even if they were uncomfortable at least her feet would be protected from the debris that was scattered on the floor.

“I bet that was some kind of explosion or timed demolition we experienced. That has to be it. They needed to separate and possibly kill some of us in order to get to who they are really after. We aren’t safe here. They will be looking for you, Niko, Roman… Whoever they want. Fucking hell. _Fuck_!” Francis let go of her hand and paced back and forth in the small room, “Okay. I’ll get us back to the surface using the tunnel entrance to the graveyard. Then I should be able to radio for help. No signal down here anyway. Okay. That’s the plan.” He was more talking to himself than he was Kate at this point, and he kept trying to run down every scenario he could. He dislodged the magazine in his pistol and counted seventeen rounds, before slamming it back in place. He cocked the gun back to seat one in the chamber and turned to face his sister, plan in place in his mind.

“So… us being down here… isn’t because of a freak earthquake?” Her head slightly throbbed with the thought and she placed her hand over the gash and yelped at the burning sensation that flared to life with the touch, “What the?” She lowered her hand and saw that it came away with fresh blood. Her body trembled at the sight of the blood and she blindly felt for the edge of the table to stay upright. The static she felt in her brain intensified and forced her eyesight to obscure before clearing again.

“Leave it. We don’t have the time now, we got to move. There is no way someone didn’t hear you screaming earlier, and they have bound to have studied the blueprints for this place. Come _on_.” He quickly moved toward his sister and started to guide her toward the wooden door that led to the many hallways beneath the church. He would need to rely on what he remembered of this place in order to find the right hall that would lead them toward the graveyard entrance.

“Francis just stop!” She dragged her feet and forced her body from moving forward at his insistence. She was fighting another wave of nauseous swaying and she was needing to be still to keep from blacking out again or throwing up. “There is no way someone knows we are down here! Wouldn’t it be more dangerous to start moving around and possibly run into whoever wants to kill us?” She crossed her arms protectively over her body and tried not to shiver at the cold that clung to her. Everything was turning numb the longer she stood, and she shifted her focus to her feet to try and clear up the uneasiness she felt and refocus her vision.

“And staying in one place is asking for it. In case you haven’t noticed there is a small bit of smoke forming along the ceiling of this room and I for one would prefer to not die in a fire or from smoke inhalation!” He pointed up toward the ceiling and turned back toward his stubborn sister. His patience would run out soon if they didn’t start moving and seek out help. He wasn’t sure how badly they were both injured and head injuries could lead to worse things if not looked at. He would not fail this time at seeing her to safety and making sure she was okay.

“Fine. Okay. We can go.” She hesitantly moved closer to him as she noticed the smoke that seemed to curl in and out of the cracks of the ceiling. There was definitely a fire someplace and she could agree about not wanting to burn to death… or suffocate. She tried to steady her thoughts as they wanted to spiral out of control. The sound of guns was growing louder by the second and she could barely make out some shouting between the chaos. One of the voices sounded like Niko to her, but she couldn’t be sure, and was probably only wishful thinking on her part. ‘ _Please be okay Niko… Please come find me…’_

“Glad we agree. Come on. I think I remember the way. Been a long time since I was down here.” He turned back toward the older looking door that led to the maze of halls and rooms that laid beneath the church. Kate moved in step with him and placed her hand on his back, bunching the fabric between her fingers, as a way to keep from losing him in the darkness that would surely lay beyond the door.

“Why don’t you grab the lamp? It can be extinguished quickly if we need to be hidden. At least then we don’t trip over anything.” He nodded toward the table they had left the lamp on. Her touch had caused him to pause and think about what they could possibly be walking in to. He knew there were only so many lights in the hall and having the lamp might help them navigate their way out. She smiled weakly to him and went to retrieve the only light source in the room.

Just then the door slammed open, causing a loud bang as it smashed into the stone wall it was attached to, causing both of them to jump terribly. A man in full tactical gear and gas mask barged into the room with a sawed off shotgun. He pointed it at Francis as he turned abruptly back to who had opened the door. Things moved in slow motion for Kate as she watched the man fire twice into Francis’ chest. The blasts were deafening in the enclosed space. Francis never stood a chance to raise his own weapon to return fire before the slugs slammed into his body and forced him to stumble back into the center of the room. His hands went to his throat, the pistol clattering to the ground, and came away with blood before he collapsed backward to the cold, dirty, stone floor. 

“ _FRANKIE_!” Kate let out a terrified shriek of his name before another man emerged into the room and rolled a smoking canister into the space. Immediately her eyes started to water, and her lungs constricted painfully. She gasped out raggedly and stumbled back into the table before falling to her knees. She grabbed for her throat and wheezed with her attempts to suck in air. Kate desperately looked over to her brother who was slowly starting to have a puddle of blood form under his head from the wounds. His arms were out from his sides unmoving and she attempted to call out to him, only to have her throat tighten impossibly further. Tears rained from her eyes as the room darkened severely in her tunneled vision. The pistol was just in reach if she could just crawl toward him.

She jerked against the icy grip that was slowly trying to drag her down to the ground. The room was swaying before her eyes and she blinked through the tears to locate the pistol again. She thought she heard a sputter or gurgle from her brother, and she worried glanced his way as she forced her arms before her to scoot closer to him. Each pull of her arms caused her shoulder to twice in fantom pain from being dislocated. Her lungs were slowly being squeezed in a vice like grip and she kept fighting to take in air.

Francis body shuddered briefly before going completely still. More tears flooded her vision at the sight before her. 

‘ _Please no!’_ Her mind was slowly losing the battle to stay conscious and she could feel her body slowly fading from her control. She drew on every grain of strength left and sluggishly lunged for the pistol that seemed to be mocking her with the distance. Her last line of defense was the one thing she hated in the world. A weapon, designed to take life, but in her case, to save it.

The two men moved further into the room. The one who had rolled the canister into the room held up a piece of paper. He looked between it and the female who was gasping for air on the ground, slowly making her way to the only noticeable weapon in the room and nodded. The one who shot Francis moved toward her, handing the shotgun off to the other man, and kicked the pistol across the room. She tried to back away from him, but her body was completely useless to her, and she only collapsed to her back, then her world faded from view.

“ _You sure this is her? Looks different.”_ The man nudged Kate’s body with his foot before crouching down to get a better look. He thumbed her chin from side to side and glanced back over his shoulder to the other man.

“ _Positive. The boss won’t be pleased if she dies before getting her hands on her.”_ The other man tucked the shotgun under his arm and pulled a backpack around his body. He removed a second gas mask from inside the bag and tossed it over to his counterpart.

“ _Yeah yeah. I got this piece of ass. Just be sure he’s dead before following.”_ The man placed the mask over Kate’s face and pulled a second line from his oxygen tank and attached it to the filter system of the mask. She started to breathe again immediately once the air filled the mask. Without much flare the man hauled her up over his shoulder and moved toward the open door. He gave her butt a playful slap before exiting the storage room.

The other man waited a second or two before approaching the man on the floor who was slowly bleeding out. He noticed the first aid kit on the table and silently moved over to filter through all the items before coming across a packet of instant wound dressing. He glanced back toward the door, listening for his partner, before ripping open the packet. He lowered down to be closer to the prone body and dumped the fast acting clogging agent over the wound he saw on the neck. He tucked the packet below the uniform jacket and read the name on the badge. That’s when he felt the bullet proof vest that was hidden under the clothes. He pulled a folded piece of paper from a pocket on his vest and tucked it down under the packet.

“ _You coming?”_ His partner’s voice called out and he abruptly turned to see if he was watching him or not. He didn’t see him yet, but he probably only had a few seconds left before he was discovered. Quickly he kicked the still smoking canister away from the body to hopefully give him some air, “ _Just checking for a pulse. Be right there.”_ He stood up silently and pulled his own pistol out from the holster. He aimed across the room toward the bookshelf and fired off a round. The gunshot reverberated in the small space. “ _On my way.”_

aaaaaa

“Niko! _Get down_!” Florian shoved Niko’s shoulder down and fired off at the person who was rounding the corner toward them. Niko dropped down to his knee roughly and aimed at a second person who was approaching from the opposite direction. They had been making their way back toward where they assumed the main aisle to have been. They were hoping to find Roman or any of their other friends. And possibly find some backup.

“ _How many more of these assholes are there?!”_ Niko pushed off the ground and did his best to ignore the stinging sensation from his knee and thigh. He was losing strength with every movement and he was struggling to stay confident in his abilities. They had yet to stumble across any of their friends and it was grating against his nerves. Every time they would catch a second to breath more armed men would show up trying to kill them.

“ _Too many.”_ Florian snorted and took aim as he heard shuffling close by. The rifle was tucked solidly into his shoulder and his aim never waivered with his breathing. He had succumbed to the inner voice and easily slid back into war-mode. It was taking fewer and fewer shots to drop someone, and he could feel the sickening pride starting to swell up inside with each kill. Niko lifted his rifle back up into position and joined his side in order to help eliminate whoever was heading their way.

“Woah watch it breda!” Little Jacob ducked slightly as he crossed into the line of sight of Niko and Bernie, their rifles snapped to his person.

“Jacob!” Niko lowered his weapon and quickly approached his friend, pulling him in for a quick hug, “Where are the others? Is Roman alive? Is Kate?” He clasped onto Jacob’s shoulder and couldn’t keep the slight shake from his voice. He was starting to get more and more concerned for everyone. They had to zigzag through the debris field and hadn’t come across anyone except for people trying to kill them. His anger was starting to become borderline out of control and if he didn’t find them soon, he was going to snap.

“Most of everyone is up by the front. Massive standoff with the Rascalov men. I went in search of you since Roman was threatenin’ to come after you.” Jacob nodded to the two men and started to search his jacket pockets for extra ammo to give them, “Brought some goods with me.” He pulled a couple of magazines out for their rifles and pistols. He had grabbed some ammo from one of the duffle bags from a team of FIB agents who were guarding the front of the church from the onslaught of Rascalov men.

“We were starting to run dangerously low.” Niko took the offered rifle magazine and tossed the second one over to Bernie. “Is Roman unharmed?” He paused in reloading his rifle to watch for Jacob’s reaction to the question. He had said that most everyone was at the front and he was partially miffed that Jacob wasn’t there protecting him.

“Mostly. We are all a little banged up. Mal is in shock. She hasn’t said a word. It’s driving Roman mad.” Jacob shifted uncomfortably under the dark stare of his friend. He glanced over his shoulder when some debris fell down from one of the piles, causing the other two men to snap to attention and aim their rifles in the direction of the noise.

Niko moved past Jacob slightly to observe the area and make sure no one was trying to jump them, “And Kate?” He didn’t look back to Jacob as he trained his eyes on the piles of debris looking for movement. The place was unstable, and things had been shifting and moving around them, but this had seemed intentional and not natural.

“Missing.”

Niko lowered his weapon when his hands went limp, “Missing?” He turned slightly around to make sure he heard right, “Missing as in not found yet? Or missing as… in...?” He couldn’t finish his sentence or let his mind finish that thought. He had sworn to protect her and keep her safe. He had made promise after promise to her and here he was trying to locate her in a crumbling, burning building, while their enemies sought them out for slaughter. Things were so beyond fucked up for him and he felt his inner rage rattle his soul. He thought he was done with the war life. He thought he was beyond fighting for survival and watching his comrades succumb to their injuries. ‘ _Roman had asked what the wars were like… this is as close as I ever want to get to it ever again…_ ’ 

“Just not found yet. Calm yourself breda.” Jacob lifted his pistol and pointed behind Niko with it, “My men be looking too. Those Rascalov boys are hard to kill. Some kind of better vests and helmets.” Several Yardies emerged from behind some of the rubble and nodded before moving off in different directions. “I also got Badman makin’ a call. We need help. Major help.” He had left his friend and boss with the others and asked him to call in their only favor. Now was as good of a time as any.

“That we do.” Florian commented as he shifted on his feet. He was itching to keep moving forward. There were more people out there needing to be delt with and his insides squeezed in anticipation. He had been rewarded with more ammunition and his fingers were twitching to start pulling the trigger again. But Jacob’s words had started to punch through the bloodlust and he remembered that Mallorie was pregnant, and not out of danger, she could cause her body more harm if she went into shock or was trying to recover from more serious injuries. He could practically picture her sitting amongst the rubble of the church, silent tears slipping down her cheeks as she clutched her abdomen. He could taste the fear in his mouth, and he quieted his thoughts to focus his attention back to Jacob, “You said Mal is in shock? I should probably go tend to her. It’s not good for her condition.”

“What condition?” Roman rounded the corner and jumped to the side when all three of them pointed various weapons his direction.

“Roman! You idiot!” Niko shouted at having nearly shot his own cousin for blindly walking around in the most dangerous situation possible, while being unarmed. ‘ _Do you not realize what an easy target you make?!’_ “What are you doing out here? You should be back where it is safe! With your wife!” He hollered when Roman seemed to completely ignore him.

“Uhh. Well. If she is injured, then shock is not good? She could have a heart attack or brain aneurysm or something. She’s also been high strung over planning the wedding.” Bernie stumbled over his words slightly before trying to convince Roman that she should just be looked at. He would not give up her secret if she hadn’t told Roman herself. He was trying to come up with a plausible reason that would convince Roman that nothing else was wrong per say, just that she needed to be checked out by someone with medical knowledge.

“Good to see you too cousin! So glad to see you aren’t killed or dead. Glad to know the entire mafia that hates YOU showed up to MY wedding and tried to kill MY wife, our friends, and blew up this damn church!” Roman sarcastically yelled out and threw his hands up in the air, immediately wincing as his shoulder throbbed painfully. He had managed to keep his wife from getting struck by the falling debris from the ceiling as they ran toward the opposite wall from the explosion, but he had been struck several times on his back and shoulders by flying stones and random pieces of concrete.

“And you don’t have a million loan sharks out to collect from you?” Niko snapped back to his cousin. “How many times have I had to bail your ass out of trouble?!”

“I was managing that just fine till you showed up and started killing everyone in sight!” Roman marched up to get in his cousin’s face. His emotions had been running high since he had pulled his wife out of the church. She had kept repeating over and over how this couldn’t be happening. She was shaking like a leaf, grabbing at her stomach, and bleeding from an injury on her thigh. She had not once looked to him or acknowledged that they had just survived an explosion after getting married. And when he did manage to get her to focus, she had asked where Niko and Kate were.

His blood had boiled over and he tried to march back into the burning building to find his friends. Jacob had stopped him and offered to go instead with some of his men. He had relented but only for a moment before his wife kept asking about Niko and Kate. That had been the final straw and he took off in search for his family and friends, anger and rage burning in his stomach. He was tired of having to constantly avoid being killed and he would make sure this would be the final time someone came for him and his wife.

“Oh! So I should have just let Vlad keep using Mal?” Niko was beyond furious now. While he normally let Roman’s comments slide, this time he was done with it all. Could he not see what all he had done to protect him? Everything he did was to keep Roman from being killed by various mobs, gangs, and mafias. And once he had him back in one piece the idiot went and started gambling again and finding trouble at every turn. Was it too much to ask of him to just stop looking for danger?

“Fuck you! This is your fault entirely!” Roman shouted in his cousin’s face, fisting his hands into the slightly bloody and dirty dress shirt on Niko.

“Roman!” Bernie yelled aghast at the accusation.

“No he’s right. This is my fault. My fight. My problem to deal with.” He narrowed his eyes and shoved his cousin off and moved past him harshly. He was feeling so many different things at once- he was happy to see his cousin unharmed for the most part, glad to know that his cousin-in-law was alive, mad at Roman’s level of stupidity, angry at not having found Kate yet, and fighting off a deep seated rage over the entire Rascalov family and their constant attempts on everyone’s lives. He was so consumed in his thoughts that he missed the approaching men.

Bernie took off after Niko trying to pull him back into cover and force the two to see reason and settle whatever differences they had. He had no idea the level of animosity that was just below the surface and he wanted to correct it. He was just in reach of Niko when he saw the armed men rapidly approaching them. He didn’t think, only reacted.

He cupped Niko’s upper arm and pushed with all his strength to get him out of the line of fire, partially throwing him off balance and behind a large piece of stone masonry. The first bullet slammed into his chest and took the air from his lungs. The second and third tore through his arm. He felt a few more impacts to his chest before he couldn’t distinguish what was taking place. He blinked and the next thing he knew he was on the ground in complete agony. He gasped for air and felt warm liquid fill his lungs, causing him to sputter and gag. He couldn’t hear much other than the sounds of bullets striking rock and people shouting. He fought to open his eyes and signal for help. But everything was getting cold and the noise was lessening around him.

“FLORIAN!” Niko recovered from the shove in time to see the barrage of bullets tear into his friend. He knew he had a vest on, but there was so much blood spray. He didn’t realize he was screaming in rage till he was standing back in the pathway and firing off at the people who had harmed his friend- draining the magazine quickly. Jacob joined his side to help eliminate the men with him. The whistle of bullets, the crackling of a nearby fire, the moans of the men dying did nothing to satiate the inferno that burned in his chest. He hadn’t recognized that his finger was still rigidly attached to the trigger as the rifle persisted to click as the firing mechanism continued to operate without ammunition. 

“Oh shit. Shit, _shit_!” Roman’s panicked raised voice broke through to him and he spun on his heel and rushed over to Bernie’s side. He didn’t even care at how bad his knees hurt when he dropped down on the stone floor next to his fallen comrade, the rifle hanging useless around his body. His hands shook as he tried to figure out where the blood was coming from. Everywhere he looked there was either a bullet hole or mangled bullet stuck to the vest. He sucked in air trying to find some kind of strength to help his friend.

He grabbed Bernie’s hand and pulled it up over his chest checking for a pulse, “Come on Florian. Don’t you die on me.” He cupped the side of his face and lightly tapped at it, “ _Come on! Wake up!”_ His mind was frantically trying to prove him wrong. That what he was seeing wasn’t happening. That this was one messed up dream and he would wake up in his apartment in Middle Park wrapped around Kate’s warm body.

“Bumbaclot!” Jacob moved back toward them and stood watch to make sure no one else would get the drop on them. He had shot a couple of others who had rushed toward them, before moving closer to his friends to stand guard. He glanced down to the man on the ground and had to look away. There was too much blood and it was making him feel uneasy.

Bernie cracked his eyes open and kept trying to breathe through the liquid that kept filling up his lungs. He searched for Niko’s face that he figured was close by. He had sworn he had heard his friend calling for him. He tilted his head to the side and spit up what he could to be able to take a deep breath.

“That’s it, come on.” Niko helped roll him to the side and his hand connected to the open would on his upper side close to his armpit where the vest didn’t protect him. It was soaking through his shirt rapidly and he could feel it contract every time Bernie tried to suck in air. ‘ _It must have punctured a lung!’_

_“Niko, this is it my friend._ ” He coughed and choked briefly before spitting out some more blood.

“ _No. You aren’t allowed to leave.”_ Niko applied as much pressure as he could to the bleeding wound and gripped his hand tightly. He had seen this too many times before and he swore he would never let this happen again. His friends were in a mass grave in a random field in his homeland. Florian had been spared and now he was going to suffer a painful death because of him. It wasn’t fair and he felt what sanity he had left start to slip.

“ _It’s okay. It’s okay.”_ He was losing the battle to stay awake and he blearily looked toward his comrade’s face, “ _I have stood as shield… and sword.”_ He gasped for air and let his heavy eyelids close. “ _To the end Niko… to the end.”_

“Florian? _Florian?!”_ Niko shook him and leaned over his body to press his forehead to Bernie’s when he didn’t feel a response, “ _To my dying breath my friend.”_ He closed his eyes and felt his throat tighten with the tumble of his emotions. He had failed. “ _I am so sorry my friend.”_ The burning in his chest froze over and he felt his eyes start to water. He leaned up from the still body of Bernie’s and met Roman’s gaze. 

“Cousin?” Roman could do no more than whisper and stare in shock at the raw hurt he could see reflected back at him. He had collapsed down on the opposite side of them and listened to the words spoken in a language he was slowly forgetting. He placed his hand on Bernie’s shoulder and tried to take comfort in the warm skin he could still feel through the light dress shirt. The vest had several mangled bullets all over the place and he lost count when he tried to take inventory. He looked down as he patted Bernie’s shoulder hoping to stir him awake- even if it were to wipe the uncomfortable look away from his cousin’s face for a moment longer.

Niko abruptly stood and stalked over to one of the men who was struggling to scoot away from them.

“ _Why? Why! Tell me WHY!”_ He yelled to the person as he towered over him. He let the rifle drop to his side and pulled out his pistol. If they wanted to execute his friends and him, then he would return the favor. He kicked the person to their back and knelt down on the chest, forcing his body weight down to make it hard for the person to breathe. “ _You had best tell me. And it had best be a good answer.”_ He cocked the gun back for effective motivation and pressed the end of the barrel to the person’s forehead.

“ _Your Russian sucks.”_ The man was already bleeding out from the wounds he obtained from Niko’s bullets and at this point would rather it all just end then face the slow agonizing death of bleeding out.

“ _And your aim sucks worse. How many more must I kill for your boss to understand that I have no qualms killing senselessly? Your life means nothing to me, and it means nothing to the hand that pays you. You should have chosen differently. You can pick the game, but you can’t change the rules.”_ He lifted off of the person slightly and pulled the trigger. He did not blink as the bullet tore through the person’s forehead ending the life before him. He stood up fully and pulled the trigger again. And again. And again. _And again_.

“Yo, yo, yo… Niko, Niko, Niko!” Little Jacob grabbed ahold of Niko’s shoulders and pulled him off the mutilated dead body, “Calm down man, calm down.” He tugged on his arms to get him to move further away from the person, “Easy, easy.” He forced Niko to turn around to face him. He tried to guide him back toward Roman and Bernie, but Niko was swaying on his feet unsteadily. He nearly fell over when Niko slumped into him and he stilled his legs to keep them both upright.

“Boss?! BOSS!”

They both turned back toward the space the men had occupied and pointed their guns waiting for whoever to round the corner. The steps were hurried, and Niko could make out several different footfalls. ‘ _Great, more idiots come to die…’_

“Comish?!” Ron ran through the small space, rifle at the ready, full NOOSE gear on. He had several other people with him- all decked out in LCPD gear.

Ron threw up his fist out to the side to let the men following him not to fire or attack, “Niko?!” He reached up and undid his facemask, looking utterly relieved to see him.

“Ron?” Niko lowered his weapon and reached out to lower Little Jacob’s gun as well.

“Francis sent out his distress signal. No one does that unless it’s bad. I have a medical unit with me. Where is he?!” Ron moved forward and pulled out a small tablet device, “I’ve been trying to pinpoint his location but I’m getting some kind of interference.” He watched as the tiny blip on his radar showed that he was basically on top of the signal. It would shift one direction then the other ever so slightly, but he could swear he should be laying eyes on his boss right now. He slapped the side of the screen and watched as it only continued to blink at his current position.

“Medical? I need help!” Roman yelled out. He had stayed by Bernie’s side when Niko left. He had lifted Bernie up slightly to rest on one of his legs and was clutching his hand for dear life. He could still see a slow heartbeat and was praying to whoever would listen to save his friend. He felt his shoulders slump with the weight of the guilt he now carried. If he had just kept his anger to himself maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation. 

“Med Team One go!” Ron moved to the side and ushered up a couple of his teammates to assist with the injured man he could see on the floor, “Beta One take point and fan out. Secure this location till we head out.” He signaled to the man who watched his six and brushed his hand down his own arm in an assigned signal. One by one armed men filed into the space and set up a perimeter, the medical team started opening duffle bags and went to work on saving Bernie’s life.

“What’s the status Niko?” He could see something wasn’t quite right with the man he had seen a few times over the past couple of days. He looked slightly pale and had a downright murderous glare in his eyes. He figured he would keep him focused and maybe get to figure out where his boss was located.

“I have another injured man back the way we came. He’s IAA high ranking.” Niko felt numb and locked his knees in place to stay upright. He pointed out to a crevasse in the rubble where Niko and Bernie had come from. If he was going to lose Bernie, at least he would try to get Bernard some help to hopefully save one life today.

“Med Team Two move out. IAA is looking for a missing agent. He was listed as a priority. Take team Charlie with you. Use the north exit for extraction point. Active your beacon too. That way med-evac outside can find you.” Another unit branched out and moved off in the direction that Niko had pointed to. Ron pulled on the collar of his vest and readjust the weight that was pulling on his shoulders. “One hell of a day.”

“You got that right.” Little Jacob leaned into one of the piles of stone and let out a long sigh. He was feeling tired and was wishing for some peace and quiet. 

“Have you seen Francis? His distress signal was activated almost twenty minutes ago. The longer it takes us to find him, the worse the odds are of him being alive. They have those in case they are in a life threatening situation. It goes out to all the squadron leaders and our NOOSE office. And in the case of our Deputy Commissioner, the FIB and IAA are notified. Low and behold when my unit and I arrived, FIB and IAA are outside fighting off an entire paramilitary gang.” Ron placed his facemask back on and nodded to his second in command to let him know these people were close friends and could be trusted, but he would stick with protocol from here on out.

“We have not found Francis. I am hoping he is with his sister. We were all separated in the explosion.” Niko clenched his hands into fists to stop the renewed shaking. His blood was still pumping away in his veins and the darkness he carried was thrashing around inside him wanting back out to finish off the others he could hear clamoring around in the rubble. He had gotten a taste of revenge and he was craving to quench that thirst.

“You mean the rigged gas main? Fucking horrible terrorist attack. The entire street block is basically gone. Every hospital and medical facility are about to be overrun. We called in reinforcements from Bohan, Cerveza Heights, Schottler, and Holland. They should have every available ambulance headed this way. Lots of casualties. We will catch who did this.” He paused as he watched his team work on the man who was injured on the ground, “My brother is watching over Packie. He is protected.” He lowered his voice to where only Niko would hear him. He wasn’t sure what all was known to the rest of his men and officers, but the McReary’s weren’t exactly on the _nice list_. 

“ _FRANKIE!”_

Niko would recognize her voice anywhere. He turned in every direction trying to discern where it had come from, “KATE?!” He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out hoping to get a response. She had sounded terrified and in trouble. As the word, or name, clicked in his brain he spun around to face the officer who he was getting accustomed to seeing by Francis’ side.

“That sounded like-” Niko started.

“Frankie!” Ron answered and looked down to the tablet again. His mind was running away from him before it dawned on him, “A basement. This church has an entire lower level. They must have fallen through the floor!” Ron tucked the tablet back into a vest pouch and lifted his rifle. “Beta One you have point, escort these folks out of here and be sure that man gets to an ICU asap! Med Team One you will see to his care or so help me you will find yourself on desk duty for life!” He turned to head back out the way he came and jerked his head to the side to signal to Niko, “You coming?!”

Niko didn’t answer and decided to charge ahead of Ron. Her scream had seemed distant and it made sense that it could be coming from underground. Roman would be protected with the NOOSE and LCPD team and he tried to quiet the voice that told him he wouldn’t be- that the only safe place was at his side. But he would be headed into more trouble locating Kate and he would be torn on who to shield if it came down to it. It was a choice he was not prepared to face any time soon.

Little Jacob followed wordlessly after his friend and nodded to the officer who had come to their rescue. He would follow Niko for the time being knowing that his friend was in a dark place. They had gone on several missions and drug runs together and he could read him easily. He trusted Roman’s cousin with his life and would repay the favor today. He had left Badman at the main entrance of the church with the rest of their friends to be protected by their fellow Yardies. It was nice to see that LCPD was on the scene and helping too.

“We saw a rather large hole back this way, might get us access to the lower levels.” Ron stopped at an intersection and waited for the other two people to turn and follow his lead. He was more protected than they were, and he was fully loaded on ammo and weapons. He was unsure of the level of skill the two men had that were with him now- but if Francis had trusted them, then he would too. He recognized the Jamaican from known drug runners and gang members list, and he would ignore his police mindset and work with them to find his boss. 

“Good. Let’s keep going.” Niko kept his words clipped and to the point. Maybe if he could just lay eyes on her, he would be able to calm down some. Bernie would be taken care of, Bernard would hopefully be getting the medical attention he needed, and Ron’s team would get Roman back out of the church in one piece. He hated having to rely on anyone else, but he would drown out the protest his mind was giving him and learn to trust those around him. Little Jacob had backed him up after only knowing him for little over a month and it had proven to be the closest friendship he had had in years- till he ran back into Florian.

“Here, I’ll go first. I have a light.” Ron approached the collapsed floor that looked to give the perfect ramp down to the basement levels. He squatted down and turned on his helmet light to see if he could locate the bottom. The makeshift ramp crumbled at the bottom and he could barely see tiled stone that was the basement floor. He figured he’d stick to what he knew and tapped the top of his helmet before getting into position to slide down into the darkness below. He was entering into an unstable section of the church with the risks higher than they had been just going through the debris.

“Right behind you. I’ll take second, Jacob take third.” Niko may not know the inner workings of the more military police force in this country, but he could take a good guess at what he was trying to say without saying it. He knelt down next to Ron and nodded when he glanced his way. They would work on their silent communication. They had no idea what situation they were entering and the only shared language between them all was English. It was a slight disadvantage, but they would make do. 

“Stay silent and follow my direction. Stay close.” Ron flipped down his night vision goggles and clicked his light off before slipping down the ramp into the darkness below.

“You trust dem?” Jacob lowered down next to Niko and tried to see where the officer had disappeared to.

“At this point yes. He is Francis’ righthand man. And while that isn’t saying much, it’ll be good enough for me.” Niko shifted his legs to be able to slide down easier and roll once he hit the bottom. The less strain he put on his injured legs the better. “Just.” He paused and glanced back around the destroyed church, “If this goes to shit, go find Roman and keep him safe.”

“What eyes can’t see; me heart can’t leap at ya know? I got Roman.” Jacob patted Niko’s shoulder and focused on the bottom of the ramp. Ron flashed his headlight a couple of times to signal it was clear to follow. “Dis Ras better know what and ting.”

“I’m sure he’s good. Here goes nothing.” Niko took a steadying breath and slid down the rough surface toward the darkness below. He felt the floor connect with his feet and immediately rolled to the side to be able to alleviate the impact to his lower half.

Ron caught his shoulders and helped pull him to his feet. A crackling noise followed by a green glow illuminated the space around them, “Here. Use this. It can be easily hid beneath clothes if we need to be shrouded in darkness.”

Niko could barely make out the intimidating figure that Ron made in the faint light from the glowstick. He had his face completely covered by the facemask and the large night vision goggles. His rifle was tucked tightly down his front and would be easily snapped to attention at a moment’s notice. He grabbed the glowstick and tucked it into his belt, readying his own rifle to be able to follow Ron down the hallway.

A rushing sound, followed by the sound of moving pebbles, greeted them before Jacob tumbled into the space from the ramp. Ron did the same thing for Jacob and hauled him to his feet and cracked another glowstick to life. The group checked their weapons one last time before getting into formation. They would stick close together and take cover when needed. They were going in blind and had no idea what to expect to come across.

“Steady hands, patient fingers.” Ron whispered out before heading off down the hall with Niko and Jacob on his six.

Niko squinted in the dark and tried to watch for cross sections of hallways and open doors. Ron was doing a phenomenal job at checking his left then right, letting Niko know to watch the opposite direction as he turned. He assumed that Ron would make a great leader, or perhaps was one at some point in time in a military setting. His combat boots made little to no noise against the stone floor and as he neared a blind spot he would slow and swivel between openings.

As they neared a more open hallway a single gunshot rang out and echoed down the hall. Ron instantly threw his open hand up to force them to stop moving for a moment. The seconds seemed to stretch on for eternity till the louder words bounced off the walls toward them; “ _On my way”_

Niko instantly knew there was someone speaking Russian up ahead. The words were slightly broken in accent, but he blamed the acoustics of the basement for the distortion. “They said they are on their way. We need to move.” He whispered the words lowly toward Ron in hopes he would hear him, and his voice wouldn’t carry too far.

Ron only nodded before lowering his hand back to his rifle. He let out a slow breath before rounding the corner to where he thought the voice had come from. They moved on quick silent steps toward the light he could see spilling out into the hallway from an open doorway. He lifted his goggles from his face and shifted off the wall the opening was on to be able to rush into the room. He could feel Niko moving close behind him, placing a hand to his right shoulder.

Niko tapped Ron’s shoulder twice to let him know he was ready and followed him into the room where the flickering light was filtering out into the hall. Ron went left and he took the right- and that was as far as he was able to look before seeing a body on the floor. His gut clenched tightly seeing Francis on the ground. Blood was pooled under his head, his uniform was slightly shredded over the chest, and he was completely immobile. His vision blurred slightly as yet another person he had somewhat been close to was now possibly dead because of him.

“Boss?!” Ron breathed out after checking the corners for threats or weapons. He rushed to Francis’ side and dropped down to start checking for vitals. “Guard the door!” he somewhat shouted as he began to panic. There was so much blood and he could only assume the worse at this point. There was an open wound on the top of his head that appeared to have stopped bleeding as the hair was caked in dried blood. There were a few scrapes on his cheeks and forehead, but nothing that looked pressing. He tapped the side of his bosses face in hopes of getting some kind of response. When none came, he went into survival mode, and started to look for other signs of life. His hands shook as he felt around his neck for a pulse. “What the?”

“What?” Niko joined him on Francis’ other side. It felt like losing Bernie all over again and he fought to keep the sickness from taking over. While he hadn’t felt any real connection to Kate’s brother, having been told to kill her other one by the one in front of him now, he still didn’t want him to die. He looked over toward the door to make sure Jacob was standing guard and met his gaze briefly. Jacob was looking over his shoulder to see what the commotion was about for a second before taking up his watch of the hallway. They had silently communicated to one another to watch the other’s backs. The ‘ _and no one else will die’_ wasn’t hard to miss in the way Niko looked.

“Someone. Or. Fuck I don’t know.” He cradled his bosses head and turned it to the side to show Niko where some first aid had been administered. At the base of his neck, close to the collarbone, was an open gunshot wound, but there was a granular substance trying to clot it from bleeding out. “I think someone tried to give him help.” He yanked his bag around from his back and started to dig for his small wound care kit. ‘ _If this is what I think it is, he has a small window to get help before it’s too late…’_

“He looks like he was shot with a shotgun…” Niko glanced down the front of his uniform to the various shredded openings. “Like buckshot or something.” He reached out and lightly pressed his hand over his heart to check for bleeding or to feel a heartbeat.

“Should have his vest on. Come on Boss. Show me a sign.” Ron was too distracted to pay much attention to Niko or the other man in the room with them. He was trying to clean the neck wound with his limited supplies and hopefully find a pulse. If he could see how bad the damage was to his neck, then he would be able to figure out the next course of action to save his life.

“He does.” Niko patted around on his chest looking for other wounds, and to ensure that the vest had held up against the gunshots, before feeling something like paper crinkle beneath his hand.

“I got a pulse!” Ron exclaimed excitedly, “Come on boss! Stay with us just a little bit longer. I’ll get you to a hospital in no time!” He tore open a clean wound dressing pad to be placed over the slowly bleeding opening. He went to open the collar more to be able to inspect the injury better when he noticed one of the stars was missing from his collar. “That’s. That’s not right.”

Niko didn’t hear him as he pulled open the uniform jacket to see the fast acting wound care packet and a folded piece of paper below it. His eyebrows knitted together as he couldn’t figure out why these would be on him. He lifted them up and moved slightly to the side to be able to see them better in the low light of the lamp.

“Niko. His beacon. It’s missing.” Ron placed the clean pad of the bandage over the wound and pulled the tablet free from his vest. The icon was moving further away from their location and it clicked to him, “He must have put it on Kate…!”

Niko leaned over to see in fact that the blip was moving away from them and he felt a rush of fear. ‘ _If Francis was shot and left here to die, then the people who shot him must have Kate! Hold on Kate, I’m on my way!’_ He shoved up off the floor and headed toward the door, stuffing the paper items into one of his dress pants pockets. The icon had moved in one direction and he assumed it was down the hall and toward an exit. Jacob followed him out and they both took off down the hall. It wasn’t as dark as it had been, and he wondered if it was because there was another door open ahead.

“We gonna get them breda!” Jacob easily matched Niko’s pace as they hurried down the hall.

“They won’t live much longer.” Niko shifted his rifle into a better hold and forced his legs to carry him faster. There was a bright light ahead of them and he could hear some muted voices. It was too difficult to make out words and he strained his ears to be able to pick up on what was being said.

“This is either an ambush or we will be doing the jumpin’. Get ready.” Jacob slowed down some once they neared the end of the hall where a flight of stairs ascended to the outer world. Sunlight streamed in through the open doors and they could see the bright blue sky above.

“Right. On my-”

“Cousin! HELP! NIKO!” Roman’s voice lifted above all the other voices and noise that was drifting down into the basement.

“Ебать нет _(_ _Yebat' net)_!” Niko took the steps two at a time and rushed up into the blinding light of midday.

Roman was being dragged across the graveyard that was partially covered in broken off chunks of the church and surrounding buildings. NOOSE agents held on to his arms and were having difficulty containing him as he thrashed around wildly. A fire was raging through the building next door and the heat was intense. The distinct sound of gunfire assaulted his ears, and he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Sirens wailed over the tops of the buildings and bounced off whatever surface it touched. There was a couple of armored black trucks parked down the slope that had other heavily armed men standing around. A flash of red caught his attention and he saw a person dump Kate off into the back of one of the trucks.

“ _The fuck are you doing with my cousin and girlfriend?!”_ The coldness that had kept a firm grip on his heart since watching Bernie get shot, incinerated back into the roaring fury that had held him together all these years. The bitterness that kept forcing him to make poor choices shrank away at the onslaught of anger that turned every other emotion to ash. It was all encompassing and overpowering. There was no more pain to hold him back. There was no more doubt to be had in his ability to save those he loved. There was only the need to get Roman and Kate safe.

“Shoot him!” Someone yelled amongst the chaos.

Niko dove off to the side to take cover behind a large headstone as the bullets rained in his direction. He could see that Jacob had ducked back down into the stairwell to be protected from the barrage of bullets. He would wait for a break in the shooting and start making his way over to where Roman was being dragged off too. He prayed that these people were stupid enough and didn’t drive off with Kate while he was under attack.

He couldn’t see how many people were around, but he knew he was outnumbered, outgunned, and pinned to his current location. His girlfriend was in the back of a truck within his sight, his cousin was screaming his head off trying to fight off the people on him, and the constant onslaught of bullets was wearing on him. He was trying to formulate a plan of attack, but every time he’d get an idea the opening would pass. There was just too many people attacking at once to safely make it to his cousin or to Kate. ‘ _I could always just go for it and suffer the consequences later…’_

A buzzing started in one of his pockets and he tried to ignore the phone as he kept trying to count the beats between gunfire. He would make a break for it and hope nothing too vital was hit by a stray bullet. But the buzzing would just not stop. “What could possibly be important right this second?!” He jerked the cell phone from his pocket and saw a blocked caller ID flash on the screen. Going against his better judgement he answered the call.

“ _Need a little backup?_ ” The voice sounded like it was coming through a microphone and there was a high pitched humming that was trying to drown out the female voice.

“Who is this?” Niko shifted his hold on his cell phone and rolled over to a new headstone as someone approached. He fired his rifle to kill them and watched as the body crumbled down to the ground unmoving. ‘ _One down. Too many more to go.’_

“ _Look up and guess.”_ The voice crackled over the line and disconnected the call. The sound of helicopter blades whirling greeted his ears and he shielded his eyes as he looked up over the burning ruble of the semi-destroyed church. A black IAA helicopter moved from behind the church and began to hover slightly over his position. He watched as the side hatch slid open rapidly and the large barrel of a gatling gun emerged.

“GUESS WHO’S BACK BITCHES!” Gerry shouted over the noise of the helicopter blades. The hum of the spinning barrel started before Gerry opened fire on the men he saw standing around in the graveyard. He made sweeping motions trying to get the men to let go of Roman and to move away from the trucks. He shifted back to the men approaching Niko’s location forcing them to retreat before swinging the gun back around to keep the people from harming Roman.

The opposite side of the chopper opened up and thick black ropes dropped down to the ground. People in full body gear slid down the ropes and moved out of the way for their comrades to descend behind them. They knelt down on the ground and formed a semi-circle, allowing those who just touched the ground a chance to prep their weapons and get situated. The last person hit the ground and pulled on the rope, letting the person know in the chopper to release them. The ropes dropped to the ground with force and caused a small dirt cloud to form. The chopper slowly moved over the graveyard to give Gerry a better angle to kill the enemies and provide cover for the people on the ground.

One of the people, who looked to be slightly shorter and less built, moved over to where Niko was taking cover, carrying what looked to be several vests and guns. They had on a helmet with a blacked out visor, a cloth covering over the mouth and nose, a heavy tactical bulletproof vest that had a lower flap to protect more of the stomach and soft tissue places on the body. The entire outfit was a deep blue, almost black, and covered in extra magazines, grenades, knives, and additional pistols. The unit moved with them and set up behind various tombstones and debris for cover. Jacob used the distraction to run over to where Niko was and ducked down next to his side.

The person knelt down in front of Niko and Little Jacob, “Hey Niko, fancy seeing you here.” She lifted the visor and pulled down the face covering, “We should probably stop meeting this way though. At least this time I don’t need to confiscate any coke.” She let out a halfhearted smile before shoving a bulletproof vest into each of their arms. The gunfire started back up as Gerry had to reload new clips to the gun. Every time the helicopter moved, brass shell casings and broken clips would fall to the ground around them.

“For once I am glad to see you- Michelle.” Niko shook his head and flinched downward when a stray bullet embedded into the headstone close to them. Quickly he maneuvered the vest over his chest and did up the straps. He was thankful for the extra protection and helped Jacob adjust the velcro to cover more of his body. He would not let the same injury happen to him that had befallen Bernie.

“It’s Karen. Remember?” She smirked having noticed the way they had changed her names around. She removed the strap to a submachine gun from her shoulder and handed it off to Jacob, “This should be more suited for you.”

“Much appreciated.” He turned to look out around their cover and opened fire on the people who kept trying to contain Roman. He would focus his attention there and give Niko a chance to go for Kate.

“How bad?” She studied the bloodied sleeves that were tied around Niko’s legs. She didn’t know how extensive his injuries were and knew he would press on even if it was life threatening. She glanced up to him when he didn’t immediately answer her.

“I’ll be fine.” He went to move back toward the fight when she grabbed his forearm, pulling him back down and to her side. She knew what was truly bothering him and she would make sure he didn’t kill himself trying to do what was right for once.

“Where is she? Everything is so fucked up right now and I don’t have reliable intel.” She moved in closer to him to avoid getting struck by a stray bullet. She pulled up her facemask and dropped the visor. She was in the presence of her fellow agents and she wouldn’t show too much favoritism and have it be called out later. Silently she redid some of the straps to Niko’s vest to make sure it was seated right and would keep him safe. They were facing tougher enemies that were using armor piercing rounds, and she would leave nothing to chance. Satisfied that he would have some form of protection on him she went back to holding on to his forearm, keeping him in place for a moment longer.

“Black armored truck at the bottom of the hill. Roman needs help too.” He placed his own hand over her gloved one and gave it a gentle squeeze in thanks. It was nice to know that she was there to help, and she immediately knew the source of the problem. He had always appreciated that about her when they were dating, or not dating in his eyes. She would get to the bottom of the conversation first and keep their talks short and to the point.

“You hear that Gerry? Black armored truck at street level.” She spoke into a radio that was strapped to her shoulder.

“Copy that! Watch out fuckers here comes the rain!” Gerry’s voice laughed over the radio before the gatling gun sprayed the area close to the trucks, mowing down men as they tried to run for cover.

She moved her other hand to her ear and talked into the earpiece she had on, “All units this is Delta Overlook calling for backup at Suffolk Church Graveyard. High level target is in the back of a black armored truck. Second target is being harassed by imposter NOOSE agents. Repeat, they are not NOOSE. Use the new code words for identification. Still missing is our leader. Be on the lookout. Lethal force is authorized.” She removed her hand from the earpiece and tapped on Niko’s hand that still rested over hers. “Let’s go rescue us a Princess.” She lifted her hand and waved two fingers in the direction of the phony NOOSE agents.

“Here that Katie? Gerry’s coming for ya!” His voice cackled over the radio and caused Niko to smirk slightly at the crazed tone he used. Karen shook her head and readied her own weapons to follow her unit around the battlefield.

The unit spread out between the headstones and started their forward progress to the fake NOOSE agents that had finally knocked the screaming and kicking Roman unconscious. Niko watched them move in close quarters and never strayed too far from their assigned partner. When one of them would aim and fire one direction, the other would cover their opening and kill anyone who got close to them. Karen released him and moved after the last remaining IAA squadron. The helicopter hovered above and provided the best distraction and cover for them.

“This is our chance breda. Let’s finish this.” Jacob shouted over the noise from the helicopter. The wind that whipped across the ground made it difficult to see and move, but at the same time it kept others from approaching too close to their location. “You want Roman or Kate? I’ll follow your lead!”

“Let’s free Roman. You stay with him and I’ll go after Kate with Gerry’s cover. They won’t go anywhere with the chopper in the sky!” He yelled back and rolled his shoulders to try and get loose for the ensuing fight. This would be his last and he would be sure that once this was all done, he would be spending as much time as humanly possible doing nothing.

“Gotcha! Let’s go!” Jacob adjusted his glasses and crouched down to start heading off toward Roman.

Niko only nodded once before taking off after Karen and her team. He would kill everyone who had tried to harm Roman, then he would make his way down to the trucks where he could still see the back doors open. Jacob stayed close to his side and moved as he did. They would work together and put a stop to all the madness around them. One way or another he would locate Natalya and put an end to her scheme. She was the mastermind behind all of it and he felt his own readiness to kill her. It would be more rewarding than when he shot Dimitri. It would be more satisfying than letting Darko go. And it would be what calmed his troubled soul.

Jacob grabbed the back of his dress shirt and yanked him back behind cover when someone spotted them. The bullets passed in front of his face and shook him from his thoughts. He twisted to the side and fired toward the person who had almost killed him.

“Watch it now.” Jacob shouted as he popped up from behind their cover and took out another couple of people, “We gotta have our minds clear!”

“I know that!” Niko responded as he killed a person who attempted to drag Roman away by the legs.

“Then get your head into it. They keep coming Niko. More a de ras clots.” He ducked down as he drained the submachine gun and caught the new magazine that Karen tossed his way. She was just a couple of tombstones ahead of them and was keeping a closer eye on them then her team. “We gwan get sheg up good, star.”

“Watch out!” Karen shouted as a rocket flew overhead and slammed into the church blowing off another section. Crumbled stone showered down from the impact zone and forced them to scramble for better cover. She took off as fast as she could on her injured leg and shoved at Niko and Jacob to move in the same direction. They all tumbled down behind a larger broken down crypt.

As the dust settled Niko sat up off the ground and wiped at his face to remove some of the debris to be able to see better. Jacob was next to him trying to clean his glasses and nodded to let him know he was mostly unharmed.

“Karen?” Niko called out when he realized she wasn’t directly next to them.

“I’m good. That was way too close.” She peeked out from behind some of the fallen stone and waved to them. They were still covered from the bullets that continued to pelt the ground and objects around them. “Gerry see if you can spot the launcher!” She yelled into her radio. Her worst fear was the person would target the chopper and they would lose their only main weapon in the fight.

“ _Miss Delta Overlook, target acquired. Requesting permission to use the other big gun. Oh pretty please?!”_ Gerry tried to speak like an agent over the radio and caused her to smile and lightly laugh. She could make out the pilot and copilot laughing madly at his joke in the background. ‘ _At least someone is taking this lightly and enjoying themselves…’_

“The one with the heat seeker? Or the one with remote detonation? One of those is beyond my pay grade afraid.” She shook her head and watched as Niko and Jacob exchanged looks between themselves not understanding what was going on. She had told him as they boarded the helicopter during the wedding ceremony that they were not to use anything that would blow up something. They were just going to simply be eyes in the sky and not on some kind of joyride.

Of course, everything went to shit as they watched in horror as the entire city block started to explode and crumble in on itself as a raging fire tore its way toward the church. She had called her boss the second the first building exploded and lost connection when the church went up in flames. They had been surveying the damage when they noticed movement in the graveyard. She had taken it upon herself to take charge and sent out orders to fight back. IAA was supposed to not get involved, but damnit! Her boss was down there somewhere, and she was willing to throw her career away if it meant saving him and everyone else in that church.

“ _This damn one right here.”_ The chopper swung around radically to be forward facing and the distinct sound of their tracking system beeped as it rapidly locked into the target.

“Oh fuck. EVERYONE DOWN!” Karen screamed as loud as she could into the earpiece as Gerry activated the flares and homing missiles. Every agent in the battlefield dropped to the ground immediately and took cover as the hiss of the first missile launched free from the tube attached to the bottom of the helicopter. The wind whistled as it blasted off toward the building that the person had fired the rocket launcher from.

The flares erupted from the sides of the helicopter as another rocket charged toward it. The pilot easily moved the bird around to dodge it and let the flares do their job. Another missile hissed as it powered on and got its coordinates for its trajectory. They had no clue who they were messing with. This was an advanced piece of machinery and was only used in warzones and military missions. Karen had called in every last favor she had in order to acquire the bird. And now she was watching it in its full glory as it fought off measly rockets from the ground and buildings.

Niko crawled over to her position and leaned over to her ear so he wouldn’t need to shout over the utter ridiculousness above them, “Remind me to _never_ let Gerry around explosives again. I knew his family loved them, but damn.” He let a genuine smile cross his face as he glanced up to watch in fascination as the pilot skillfully moved it over them and Gerry kept launching his own attack.

“Deal! We can use this to our advantage and try to get to Roman. They should all be scrambling for their own cover.” She glanced over Niko to see Jacob crawling over to them, “You need more ammo? I only have so much for that gun. I have back up pistols.”

“I could use another. Where was this the whole time?” He shouted pointing up to the helicopter.

“I figured the gatling gun would be good enough. This is better though.” She watched as another missile flew off toward the building where she supposed the person was located that kept launching their own rockets at them. The exterior was starting to break away and she could make out a couple of fires forming on lower levels.

“Much.” Jacob took the offered magazine and loaded the weapon before checking his own pistol for ammo.

“How do you want to get to Roman. Your team is still working toward him with no luck.” Niko pushed up on his knees and hands to observe the scene. Roman was laying on a stone path that led to the trucks. The Russians were all taking cover behind random objects while returning fire to the IAA agents. Roman was too open and it worried him. He couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t killed him or Kate yet. ‘ _Unless they have something else worse planned.’_

“I have an idea. You may not like it, but it’s the best I got.” Karen peaked up over their cover next to Niko and figured her plan would be the quickest way to get to Roman before going after Kate.

“I’m listening.” Niko glanced over to the armored trucks wishing he could see inside of it. They had chucked her roughly into the back of it and he hadn’t seen her try to move or escape. ‘ _She is either being held at gunpoint or is unconscious. Otherwise she would be trying to get free right? Just hold on Лепа_ ( _Lepa) I’ll be there soon…’_

“Aviator Two do you copy?” Karen tilted her face toward her shoulder radio and kept her eyes trained on the battlefield.

“ _Go ahead Delta Overlook. AVA Two copies, awaiting instruction.”_ The copilot answered her. The chopper whined as it was jerked upwards to avoid another rocket.

_“It’s MISS Delta Overlook. Get it right Jim.”_ Gerry barked over the open communication line. The beeping of the targeting system booted up again as it sought out the heat signature in the building.

“ _My name’s not Jim!”_

“BOYS! Pay attention. Gerry go back to killing people.” Karen rolled her eyes beneath her blacked out visor. ‘ _Never thought I would have to say that.’_ The field was mostly empty in the center, aside from the slightly sloped terrain and gravesites, and if she could convince the highly trained pilot to move along with them, it would provide enough cover for them to help get her team into position for extraction of Roman. She tried to envision her plan working before continuing to talk, “AVA Two, AVA One, do you remember that mission in that desert city located in Sandy Shores?”

“ _This is AVA One and that is a no go.”_ The pilot responded even though he was focused on keeping the bird from being hit. He released more of the flares as another rocket charged at them. The flares caused the rocket to explode above them and they ducked down as the shock wave pushed down on them.

“Okay what about the Paleto Bay mission? That was training and worked out.” She ducked back down when someone spotted them and started firing before the machine gun of the chopper went off.

“ _I-”_ The pilot jerked the bird around and started to mow down a couple more people with the pilot controlled gun as he had noticed the men were getting more brave in their approach. “ _That was a training exercise Delta. Not meant for combat.”_

“I know but I don’t see another option.” Karen gripped onto Niko’s arm as she tried to convince the pilot to do something that had never been approved by any branch of homefield operating agencies.

There was a rather lengthy pause over the radio as the battle kept going on before a heavy sigh echoed over the radio, “ _You know that is some Merryweather bullshit. And not cleared for civilian territories or on US soil. We will lose our badges for sure. Not to mention- might as well kiss that pension goodbye.”_

“I don’t care. This is too important for the rules.” Karen turned to look at Niko who seemed to be getting impatient with the delay in getting to Roman or Kate.

“ _AVA One copies.”_

“Follow my lead Niko, Jacob. He is going to give us cover. Don’t stray too far out and you won’t get killed.” Karen turned around and sat down on the ground, checking her own rifle one last time, and reloading it to be at full capacity. “This is going to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.” She breathed out before getting ready to head out into the battlefield. She motioned with her hand for Niko and Jacob to get ready and watched as they crouched down next to her and waited for the signal.

“ _AVA One in position. On your mark.”_ The bird lowered in its position and hovered directly over the trio. The wind was intense and was blowing everything around them further out. The twin machine guns loaded under the cockpit started to move back and forth as the copilot and pilot located their enemies on the battlefield.

“GO!” Karen yelled and sprung up from her hiding spot, immediately targeting a person who was out in the open. Niko jumped up behind her and started shooting the men that continued to approach Roman. Jacob moved up to his side and protected his blindside. The unit of IAA agents started to shift around in their cover to help take some of the heat off the chopper and small group that was making their way toward the unconscious man on the ground.

The terrain was rough and hilly and was causing the team more trouble to move through. Between the wind, stray bullets that would ricochet off the chopper, and the constant barrage of noise from the machine guns overhead, they kept pressing forward. Niko tried to not let his hopes run away from him, but Roman was so close to him. He could see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply and slowly.

The warning signal whirled to life inside the cockpit, “ _Incoming. Take cover!”_

Niko grabbed Karen’s duffle bag and pulled her off to the side, slamming his body into Jacob’s, as he forced them to dive behind a large pile of debris. The flares shot out above their heads as multiple rockets charged toward the helicopter. The pilot jerked the bird to the side to avoid getting hit, and to avoid letting the explosions hit his fellow teammates on the ground, and had to over correct as the blades started to strike the tops of some of the larger monolithic tombstones.

Niko grabbed hold of his friends and encouraged them to keep running for better cover. The Russian’s had gotten smart and were shooting everything they had at the helicopter. It would only be a matter of time before the chopper needed to evacuate the area or be destroyed. He watched as he was forced to put more space between himself and Roman. He shoved Karen ahead of them in hopes she would dive behind the large stone structure that sat directly in the middle of the graveyard.

“Grenade!” Karen shouted out as the metal sphere dropped down between her and where Niko and Jacob were running. She turned and rushed toward it, kicking it off to the side before it exploded. The concussion blast knocked her, Niko, and Jacob back down to the ground in different directions.

The high pitch ringing pierced through Niko’s brain and caused a new wave of nausea to wash over him. His body felt like it was made of lead and was difficult to move. There was a warmth that was rapidly spreading across the back of his head and he struggled to determine what it was. He willed his arm to move and brushed his hand across the back of his head. Warm, thick, liquid greeted his fingertips. He forced his hand back into his line of sight and saw blood smeared over it. ‘ _Fuck.’_

His vision was tunneling rapidly, and he struggled to stay conscious. He needed to keep going- his mission wasn’t over yet. He needed to rescue Roman and Kate. He needed to start a new life, wanted to start a new life with Kate, and watch Roman’s child grow up. Things he never dreamed possible were just at the tips of his fingers, and he was trying to claw his way toward those goals. The universe was mocking him in his moment, and he cursed it in every language he knew. The color was fading from the sky and the level of noise was diminishing. ‘ _Is this how it ends?’_ was the last thought to cross his mind before the darkness dragged him under. 

“So tired of this crap!” Karen huffed out before rolling over to her stomach and scrambling back behind some large chunks of stone to keep from being shot at. “Niko? Jacob?” She looked around worriedly when she didn’t seem them immediately.

“Over here!” Jacob called as he pulled himself upright behind the massive mausoleum that graced the center of the graveyard. He rested against the faded marble and tried to steady his breathing. He patted over his chest and legs checking for injuries and gave a thumbs up in Karen’s direction when he knew he was good.

“Niko?” Karen glanced around the battlefield and noticed a dress shoe that was sticking out from behind a smaller tombstone. He was laying out in the open and too exposed for her liking. She looked back toward her unit and saw they were fully engaged into a gunfight with the false NOOSE agents. Roman was being dragged down the hill toward the armored trucks and she winced at how they handled his body. She realized she was on her own and would need to act quickly.

The helicopter made a whining noise and jerked to the side erratically. A loud _boom_ reverberated across the graveyard and she glanced up panicked to the chopper. Black smoke started to billow out from the rotating mechanism that kept the blades moving. She couldn’t make out the words that were being screamed on her radio over the distress signal that was blaring loudly in the cockpit. The helicopter dropped a few feet before the pilot tried to force it back up over the church.

Another large thunderous clap echoed around them and in an instant, she knew what was going on, “SNIPER!” She screamed it into the earpiece and the radio hoping to give some kind of warning to everyone to take better cover and to check the surrounding buildings. The warning signal for impact squealed overhead as the chopper lost control and started to slowly spin away from the graveyard. She watched in horror as the blades slowed their rotation and the buzz of the engine powering down rang out.

“Gerry! Get out of there! Gerry!” She yelled it over and over in the radio as the helicopter moved further out of her sights. She scrambled from her cover to be able to see where it was going. Static and screaming was the only response she received as it disappeared beyond the partially standing church. The screech of metal striking stone followed by a loud crash drowned out all the other noise in the area. A large fireball erupted above them, and mushroom clouded up toward the brilliantly blue sky. “GERRY!”

The whistling buzz zipped past her head and she dropped down to the ground before the answering _bang_ reached her ears. “Fuck, fuck, _Fuck!”_ She clamored over several large pieces of stone and concrete, ignoring the bite that attacked her legs as her uniform offered no protection from sharp objects. Her leg injury would likely either reopen or new ones would form around it, but she ignored every single stab of pain that ignited over her body- She needed to complete her mission, the only thing left to give in her life. She moved as quickly as she could toward Niko and paused behind a large marble angel statue.

The bullet tore through one on the wings and it dropped down next to her in a crumbling heap. She pulled herself in tightly and tapped on the earpiece to get someone on the line, “Mayday. Sniper is targeting my location. Need help!” No one answered her and she swallowed thickly. She was on her own and she needed to get Niko to cover before the sniper realized who it was laying out in the open.

“Jacob! Can you reach Niko?” She screamed out over the ensuing gunfire between her unit and the other enemies in the area.

“No! I’m pinned down by des damn ras clots!” He shouted back to her as he attempted to take out the people who were moving in his direction.

“What?!” She peaked around the statue briefly before tucking back behind it. The ground near her left foot somewhat exploded as a bullet struck it. Dirt and grass flying in different directions. ‘ _High caliber. Will definitely rip through the vest. Fuck!’_

“Change of plans Jacob!” She shouted over to him and waited a second to be sure he was listening between his firing of the submachine gun.

“Iyah listenin’!”

“I have a letter under my vest. Make sure it gets where it needs to go.” She forced her fear down as far as it would go and took in several deep breaths. She took off the duffle bag that was attached to her back and brought it around front. She had a plan, and it could be the very last thing she ever did. The sniper was skilled and was mocking her the longer she stayed put. She stood on shaky legs making sure every part of her was behind the statue. ‘ _Boss. I’m sorry. I did the best I could. Wherever you are I hope you know that I gave it my all. Honor my star on the wall.’_

Her nerves settled and she took one last fortifying breath. She tossed the large bag to her left and took off in a dead run to where Niko was laying on the ground a split second later. She heard the thunder from the sniper and knew they had taken her bait. She slid into Niko’s side and grabbed his vest to haul him up and over her as she rolled them toward the next large piece of cover. He was deadweight and it was more difficult to move him than she was anticipating.

Pain exploded across her back and she cried out before her air ran out. She dug deep to keep moving them and pulled on his body to drag him into cover. Adrenalin coursed through her veins as she realized that safety was in reach. She pulled as hard as she could on the shoulder straps of his vest as she dragged him toward the mausoleum Jacob was using for cover.

“Hurry!” Jacob yelled out to her, waving wildly trying to encourage her on.

The clinking of bullet casings chimed out as they hit the floor of the abandoned warehouse. Smoke wafted around the space from the fires that were burning on the floors below. Several empty Soviet rocket launchers were discarded around the platform that provided the best vantage point. Delicately manicured fingers reached out and grabbed another fifty caliber round from the box to load into the empty chamber. The movement was natural as they loaded the next bullet in the chamber and slid the bolt handle into the firing position. Deep slow breaths echoed softly in the open space as they moved the scope around looking for the moving target.

They lined up the next shot, adjusted the scope, and fired. The kick back from the rifle caused them to lose the target briefly before she landed the scope back on the struggling target. Cold blue eyes watched as the person desperately tried to drag an unmoving body to cover. Recognition hit and they stood up rapidly from their perch, moving to the large open industrial window. Using the concrete frame, they adjusted the dial on the scope, before lifting it back up to take out their next target.

Niko opened his eyes as his internal warning system told him he was being moved aggressively. His vison was extremely blurry, and he blinked rapidly to try and get some clarity. His whole body was aching and burning, and every time he was jerked around something new would start hurting. The person must have noticed him waking as their head in the helmet snapped down to look at him.

The crosshairs lined up where they wanted them to go, and they sucked in a long breath, holding it in to keep from creating any sway. The finger slid into the trigger guard and rested over the polished metal of the trigger. They watched as the person looked down abruptly and found the opening they needed.

“Для тебя двоюродный брат ( _Dlya tebya dvoyurodnyy brat_ )”

The bullet charged from the barrel toward her target.

Niko tried to form the strength to help them move him behind cover. He was starting to realize just how out in the open they were and put what little energy he had into shoving his feet out to help scoot backward. He could hear Jacob yelling at someone to hurry up over the sounds of guns firing. His strength was leaving him faster than he was able to channel it and he could feel his legs giving out on him. His world was starting to fade again. He felt Jacob grab hold of the vest he had on and he looked back up to the person who was shielding him from the others who were shooting in their direction.

He watched as the helmet snapped to the side violently before the body went with it. The echo of the sniper felt louder than it should have been. And he could do nothing but watch as the body dropped off to his side before everything just faded into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve decided to split this chapter here. If I had left it whole, this thing would be like 45k words and would’ve taken me the entire month to review and edit. 
> 
> Figured y’all would want something before Christmas! Don’t worry! My goal is to get the second part out in all it’s glory before Christmas. 
> 
> My present to everyone! Don’t kill me! One Love.


	11. Out of Commission Part Two

"Eleven O'clock"

Niko shifted the rifle toward his eleven and started searching for movement where his spotter had called out. Nighttime always made it difficult to spot targets, but the snow helped him see moving objects. The underbrush was mostly frozen over and every time the wind would rustle through the ice covered branches, they would snap and fall off. Snow was also unforgiving when trying to be untraceable. Footsteps of people and animals were easier to spot in the undisturbed snow.

"I think you are seeing things again Florian." He swept further to the left to see if maybe it was closer to the wooden wall of their camp or not. The wind was frigid, and his breath was causing the scope to fog up slightly. He leaned back and rubbed at it with his glove covered hand.

"No, I saw something move against the shadows." Florian shifted up on his elbows and fine-tuned the focus dial of his binoculars, "There!" He reached out and grabbed the top of Niko's head and swiveled it toward the right of his crosshairs.

Niko grumbled against the way he felt his wool cap ruffle his hair but readjusted his sights to figure out what he was needing to target. He slowly moved the rifle around to the small clearing that his comrade had brought attention to. The moon was full and illuminated everything in a blanket of silver light, causing the shadows of the trees to stretch further out against the snow. A delicate hoof moved out from behind a large spruce and he snapped his sights to it. He watched in wonder as a muscular red deer searched the snow covered ground for food. The antlers branched out in a wild fashion and he worked quickly to count the points.

"Got to be at least a ten point." Florian breathed out as he tried to count how many tips were on each antler, tapping out a count on Niko's shoulder.

"At least." Niko moved down from the antlers to find a kill shot. They had been running low on food supplies and this deer would more than likely supply them for another week. As he prepared to fire, another smaller red deer moved out from behind the tree, blocking his shot. The female nibbled at the scruff around the buck before trotting ahead to scavenge around the bottom of a different tree. Two young offspring wobbly moved after their mother looking around their surroundings curiously.

He let out a long sigh and dropped the barrel down to rest against the wood platform they were perched on, "That's a negative."

"Damn. You and your soft heart." Florian dropped his head back down into his folded arms and groaned, "We move out tomorrow, maybe the next post will have resupplies." It was a long shot, but he was willing to hold out hope that they would be able to restock their mobile pantry.

"What? You getting tired of porridge and left over Shiva cookies?" Niko grunted and let out a sarcastic laugh, "Nothing like a good home cooked meal to motivate me into enemy territory..."

"Your mother does make one hell of a pie." Florian scrubbed over his face before lifting the binoculars to start searching the area again for enemies or possible food.

"Roman's mom makes better stew. Yours just burns everything." He leaned away from the halfhearted punch Florian threw his way before resuming his post.

The silence descended upon them again and the chilly nighttime air sunk back down into their clothes. They were assigned night watch and hated every second of it, but it was at least bearable when they got the assignment together. Florian was an excellent spotter and Niko couldn't ask for a better partner. They had the same thought patterns about wind, position, and distance for a target. So, whenever Niko got handed the short end of the stick for night watch, he'd request Florian for his lookout. Out of all of their squadron from their home village, he got along best with him and Goran. But Goran tended to have more bloodlust for his liking.

"You think we will ever see home again?" Florian's voice was quieter than normal, and Niko glanced his direction from behind the scope.

"We just have to win the war then yes; I believe we will see home again." He turned his attention back to the quiet and unmoving forest around them. He had worked hard to bury his hopes of being done with the war. They had been at this for years and he was growing tired of the constant killing, running, fighting… He longed for the days of helping his mother around the cottage and working the land to harvest food. He had avoided all conversations about normalcy as it tended to make him second guess the mission at hand.

"It won't be the same. I was talking to Dmitar and he thinks our next mission will take us close to the village. There was a raid on it not that long ago. I fear there won't be anything left to return to." He lowered the binoculars and let out a sad sigh, searching the night sky for some sign of happiness or sign of hope. They were all starting to get burnout from the constant fighting.

"What does Dmitar know anyway? Half the time our orders change five minutes after they are given." Niko nudged his shoulder into his friend's to get him back on track. The conversation was headed in a direction he did not want it to go. He had heard plenty from Goran about the raid and wished to not dwell on the details anymore. He would need to return home to check in on his mother and aunt soon. He had promised Roman he would watch out for their family, and he planned on keeping that promise.

"That is true. One day I am going to move away from this place. I will find love and I will have a better life. No more killing, stealing, slaughtering- just peace. I could die a happy man then." Florian shifted his eyes away from the moon to look at his friend. They had started to form a close friendship since taking the role of night guard. They would speak about their shared childhoods and wishful dreams when the surroundings would go quiet. It helped him deal with the nightmares when he'd sleep.

"You reading more of those stupid magazines from the states again? There is no such thing. 'Better Life'- we are not meant for that." Niko scoffed and pressed his finger firmly against the trigger guard. He shoved the happier thoughts down in his mind and tried to remember that they were in enemy territory and probably surrounded by people who wanted to kill them. There would be time later to dwell on love and life. Now was not the time.

"You are too cynical for your own good. It's why you are single." He took the hint and went back to watching the trees and clearing around the gate to their makeshift base of operations.

"I'm single because I choose to not be tied down. Don't exactly like the idea of leaving behind a wife and child." Niko scanned the covered walking path that led right up to their gate and paused when he thought he saw a person ducking out of the opening, "Ten O'clock!" He hissed when he saw the body try to climb over the metal rod of the gate.

Florian shifted around on the platform and rested over Niko's back to be able to see what he was looking at, "It looks like someone is trying to leave, not break in." He whispered trying to remain quiet as to not alert the person who was either trying to escape or break in. He adjusted his focus dial and tried to see any identifying features.

"No one is supposed to leave the base." Niko whispered back moving the barrel to follow the target as they dropped down into the snowy ground in a heap.

"Niko. Everyone sneaks out every now and then to the local towns to fulfill a need. Goran did it last night. We were out of vodka. He stole a couple of bottles from the local pub after they closed up." He watched as the person looked around frantically before brushing off the snow from the heavy coat, "Not sure who this is though."

"That's comforting. Here I am supposed to keep us safe from enemies and I haven't noticed people coming and going." He squinted his eye in the scope and zoomed in on the face using the dials, "Ah, Darko. What's your need tonight?" He hummed as he watched his friend look around suspiciously for someone who might have spotted him leaving. He kicked the snow around by his feet trying to backfill the indention he made when he fell over. He was behaving oddly, and it caused Niko to wonder what he was up to at the late hour. Sunrise was only a few hours away.

"My guess is a _warm_ bed or drugs. He's been acting funny lately. The shit he gets goes right to his head." Florian tilted his head to the side and rested it against the back of Niko's, using him as a prop to be able to see their comrade down below in the snow.

"Didn't you catch him stealing all the morphine out of the med kits last week?" Niko trailed Darko as he took off in a light jog into the cover of trees and disappeared from his sights. He kept the rifle trained on the last spot he saw him and waited to see if he would come back quickly.

"I did. He would have ended up in a coma had I not stopped him from draining every vial into his arms." Florian leaned up off of Niko and resumed his spot next to him. He placed the binoculars down and sighed. "He would've been dead. I did the math on the dosage, and it would have been lethal. He has a real problem. He will probably not be suited to handle midday watch. Mijo will have to split it with Dragan in order to maintain surveillance." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. They really needed to start being more vigilant and more like a unit, than some frat party on vacation that happened to have a permit to shoot people.

"I can cover some. I'll set the alarm to work the middle of that shift." He released the rifle and shifted his arm in order to reach his watch. He carefully started to roll the dials in order to set his alarm to be able to get up and help cover for Darko. There had been plenty of times where he would get a little carried away with his drinking and Darko would cover for him.

_ Beep, beep _

"There, all set." He moved his arms back into position and readjusted the sniper rifle to resume watch. He checked back to where the family of deer had been and saw they had moved on. The hoof tracks went back toward the thick forest and he wondered if there were others out there that would be easy to pick off. ' _Shiva cookies are getting old'_

"You are too kind. We move out tomorrow to the forward operating base. I'll see about getting locks for the med kits and start taking a log on who checks out what. We should probably confront him about it though. If he has a problem, then I would rather have it addressed between us then our superiors finding out." Florian rolled to his side to face Niko and propped his head up on his hand.

_ Beep, beep _

Niko jumped at the noise and pulled his wrist back to look at it. The watch clearly showed the alarm to be set for midday and had not sounded off, "You hear that?" He looked over to Florian to see him nod his head and glance up to the sky, once more searching the heavens for answers.

"Well yeah getting high isn't always a problem, but when it puts us in danger and could lead to us getting killed, I have a problem with it." Florian searched the star covered sky and softened his features, "It's no different when we get drunk together and pass out at first light. It probably annoys the hell out of Goran since he is on the next shift." He smiled broadly and laughed.

_ Beep, beep _

"What are you talking about? Do you not hear that beeping?" Niko lifted up his rifle and scanned the trees quickly trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. When Florian let out another laugh, he dropped his rifle and shoved at his shoulder slightly to get him to focus again. There was something out there making noise and could be a threat to them and their squad.

Florian caught his wrist and held on as tears came to his eyes from the laughter, "You are too damn funny Niks. Darko would definitely fuck anything with legs to get high." He wiped a lone tear from his eye and let out another soft chuckle.

"This shit isn't funny Florian. You don't hear that beeping?" He tightened his hold on the military jacket that Florian wore.

_ Beep, beep. Beep, beep _

"You know, sometimes all we have is each other to lean on in order to get through all this. I'm glad you are willing to help Darko with his problem." Florian patted Niko's wrist and rolled over to his back and let out another sigh, "I am lucky that I have all of you as friends. Sometimes I feel like I don't belong. That I am an outsider." He placed his binoculars over his stomach and shifted around to get comfortable.

_ Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, beep _

"Florian! Cut it out! You had to have heard that!" The beeping was getting louder and he was getting increasingly more alarmed. He scanned the trees again rapidly- the spot the deer were in, where Darko disappeared from, the other small clearing where he could see two bodies huddled close together exchanging items, tucking them into their pants pockets. He faltered his hold on the rifle and lunged up to his knees to grab at Florian who kept rambling on about their lives. The sniper clattered against the wooden watch tower as he released it to grab hold of his friend's shirt.

_ Beep, beep. Beep, beep. BEEP. BEEP _

His fists clenched in the wrinkled and blooded white dress shirt and his eyes landed on the blood splattered face of Bernie. His eyes hazel eyes losing focus as he stared up at him. His dark blonde hair was askew and had drying blood caked in clumps in random places. His upper arm was tied off with a black suit sleeve and showed to be soaked from the stab wound that laid beneath it. A trail of blood seeped from between his lips to roll down from the corner of his mouth.

"Florian?!"

"You took the oath as I have. There is still time to uphold it." Bernie wheezed against the several wounds he sustained and slightly gargled on the liquid that was slowly filling his lungs once more.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Florian! Hang on, I'll go get some help. You are bleeding all over the place!" Niko frantically searched over his friend's body noticing the entry wounds on his sides and arms. Everywhere his hands landed came away with blood. His heart was frantically pounding away in his chest and the blood began to roar behind his ears. Pain started to form in bursts all over his body and he lurched forward slightly at the onslaught against his body. He looked down to his hands to see that his own clothes were no longer his military uniform, but the suit that was tattered and dirty, soaked in his own blood and that of this friends and enemies.

_ BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. _

"Niko. It is not too late to save Kate and Roman. Wake up and go save them." Bernie tried to smile against the pain and placed his hand over Niko's forearm, shoving the sleeve back to expose their matching tattoo, "Go. I'll be waiting for you to bring them back."

"I can't leave you like this. You'll die!" Niko went back to trying to cover the larger wounds he could see with his hands trying desperately to stem the blood flow.

BEEP. BEEP _"This is a bad idea. He shouldn't' be awake right now."_ BEEP. BEEP " _Do as told. Then leave us."_

"I will be alright. But they are not. Go save your cousin and the love of your life. Or so help me I will kill you myself!" Bernie gave him his best angry face and slapped his other hand against Niko's chest.

BEEP. BEEP. " _I am not leaving you with him. I'm not that stupid."_ BEEP. BEEP. " _You are replaceable old man. Do not tempt me!"_

Niko jerked against the pain that seemed to come from every direction. His mind was groggy, and he was having trouble trying to figure out why everything was so dark. There was an annoying beeping that kept going in a steady cadence and it forced him to turn his head away from the noise. It was piercing and was causing a dull throb to form behind his eyes and ears. The sound of shuffling feet, followed by a door opening and closing, greeted him and he forced his heavy eyelids to lift.

He blinked against the dim light and tried to focus on his surroundings. He slid his palms against the surface he was laying on and felt stiff, over bleached, sheets. He glanced down his body to see he was stretched out in a hospital bed, slightly elevated. Various wires and tubes were strung out across him and in one of his arms he could feel the IV needle. Slowly the feeling in his legs and toes returned and he wished it hadn't. The nerves were sending distress signals to his brain and he gasped at the rush of pain they caused him.

His throat was incredibly dry, and he wheezed against the sensation of sucking in air. He had never realized that coughing could hurt, but he was wishing he would just stop _coughing_. Every lurch of his chest would send another sickening wave of agony down his body. He was seeing bright spots in his vision as his lungs forced the air out of him.

"Here. Small sips." A hand entered his vision holding a styrofoam cup with a straw in it.

Niko grabbed it with shaky hands and brought it to his cracked lips, lightly sucking in the cold water to calm his respiratory system. The coolness flooded his system and he shivered against it. He went to take another gulp when the hand removed the cup from his grasp to set it on the tray table next to him. His eyes widened as he realized he had just taken something from someone who might be trying to kill him. His vision blurred as he darted his eyes over to see who was in the room with him. Everything was starting to click into place and the panic wanted to overtake every rational emotion that swirled around in him.

The lights were off in the room, except for the glow of the medical equipment, and a small, recessed light that was above the couch that could be converted into a bed. He squinted his eyes to be able to make out the dark figure sitting in the only other chair in the room. He was next to his bed, facing the top of the bed, and unmoving. It unnerved him to great lengths that he couldn't make out any identifying features and it was making him think he was dreaming again. Images wanted to overlay with his vision, and he squinted further to find some clarity.

As the silence drew out, he figured he would need to be the first to speak, "Who?" The strain on his vocal cords caused him to feel like he was swallowing sand and he coughed a couple of times to dispel the feeling and clutched at his chest to try and stop the searing pain he felt.

"I am known by many titles, but I would give them all up gladly, to hear my son call me father one more time." The man's voice was heavy and thick with a Russian accent. He reached out and clicked a button on the bed remote to turn on one of the overhead lights, flooding the room in light.

Once Niko's eyes adjusted to the brightness, he tried to rack his brain for where he may have seen this man before, or if he knew him at all. He wore an expensive looking brown suit coat with sleeve cuffs and lapel pins that glimmered in the light. Dark brown hair was slicked back from a hard-set face, with menacing brown eyes, and a deep scowl that was surrounded in thick stubble. He crossed his arms over his chest and began tapping out a slow rhythm with his fingers. He appeared irritated that he had yet to answer him.

"Boy you should know your enemies before killing their children." He shoved back one of his sleeves to show a faded tattoo of a hammer and sickle crossed. It rested just above the expensive looking watch that ticked with each passing second. "Then again, you were never given the opportunity to know whose shit you blew up or the life of the one you gunned down at the subway station."

Fear slammed down his body and he really started to think he may have just been poisoned, "Petrovic." The last name was the only thing needed in order to know who it was that now sat in the hospital room with him. He was stuck. There was no escaping him at this point and he tried to swallow any retort that tried to force its way out of him. He instinctively reached for where his pistol normally would have been and was greeted by nothing. It was an unsettling feeling being unarmed.

"The one and only Kingpin of Russian crime in Liberty City and abroad." He lowered his sleeve and leaned back into the chair, crossing his leg over his other, "That's the nice thing about hospitals- patients are almost always unarmed. And you, _were_ the biggest thorn in my side. Now it seems we have a common enemy." His eyebrows knitted together as he spoke, letting his anger be known that he was unhappy by current events.

"Rascalov." His throat felt tight and he was starting to sweat. He was powerless and knew that if this man wanted him dead, he would have no way to fight back. He would just have to lie there and take it.

"That _bitch_ is out of control. I tried to warn Lenny of her insanity, but I guess big tits and a talented mouth will make any man turn a blind eye. Her _rat_ of a cousin convinced me of a rather lucrative deal in order to keep me from slaughtering all of you. I agreed thinking you'd leave my assets alone and disappear. But no. You kept killing and fucking things up for me and everyone else I have under thumb." His features darkened and his scowl deepened. He had been through hell the last six months and he was trying to remember why he had agreed to let this man live.

"I was in debt to Faustin." He offered, knowing there wasn't much else to go off of or give to appease the silently fuming man next to him. He clenched his hands into fists and noticed how sore he felt. Whatever drugs were being pushing into his system were working overtime to cloud the pain from him.

"I know all about debts and collecting on them. My son was not a snitch and most definitely was not working with the FIB. That drugged up fucker didn't understand anything. If you hadn't been the one to kill him, I would've done it myself eventually." He glanced to the side and took a long breath trying to cool the seething rage he felt over the death of his son. He had warned Faustin several times leading up to his son's death that he needed to remember whose territory he was operating in. And in the end, he wished he had gone with his gut feeling and squashed the small mafia that was led by Faustin.

"I'm sorry." He was at a loss for what to say. He was still trying to figure out how he had ended up in the hospital after everything went dark, and more importantly, why the public enemy number one happened to just waltz in and sit next to him. Was the security at this hospital dead? Or were they on the payroll of the man who sat within reach? His thoughts were running away from him and he shook his head to clear it.

"Nonsense. Spare me the bull shit. I have lived a long life having to dish out plenty and received my fair share over the years. There are more pressing matters to discuss before my time is up here. My late son's fiancé has gone off the deep end. I forbid her from going after you, and yet she ignored my warning. I will give credit where credit is due, and my boy, you are a force to be reckoned with. I haven't received so many phone calls, calling in favors, in one day ever. My debt is being called upon today."

Niko's look of confusion caused him to chuckle, "Dear boy. You have many friends in high places that hold you in the upmost highest regard. I like to keep my blacklist in the black, not the red, and after today, my debts will have been settled. You will no longer have my ire. Between Teafore, Brucie, and a _very_ surprising call from Mr. Fitzsimmons himself, I have decided to visit you to see what all the fuss is about." He huffed out and shifted his legs to get more comfortable, dusting his hands off on one another to display that he would be done with things once he left the hospital. Niko could only look on in disbelief, not understanding completely what was going on.

"Every one of them was concerned about your wellbeing, the lives of their own affiliation, and the lives of a Miss McReary and Mr. Bellic. I was partially aware of the hate that has been headed your way but was unaware of how involved Natalya is. Dimitri was my associate. We had business deals, and because of you, I realized he was trying to usurp me with the H deal gone wrong. Fucking Bulgarin. Euro-trash! Should have had him removed the second he set foot in this city." He scoffed and glanced toward the closed blinds of the hospital window. ' _Another mistake, another slip up, never again…'_

"That bitch sided with her cousin and was trying to form their own faction. She has the support from the Albanians and their newfound power here in LC, as well as the Angels of Death. She has gained much ground in her quest against you. She has made promises to them that cannot possibly come to be. She offered the McReary's up to the Albanians and the Angels. She offered you up to Bulgarin, even though Dimitri gave that offer originally, and she put the most obnoxious price on your cousin and Kate to be captured and brought in." His eyes softened a touch and he shifted uncomfortably, "I learned of what was to be. I may be ruthless, but even I have a daughter."

"Then you know why I must kill her." Niko's voice was low and strained. He was having trouble processing everything, and his body was starting to hurt beyond his pain threshold. Even if he could get out of this bed, he was unsure if he would be able to stand for long. He was starting to realize that he had _failed._ And that thought alone was driving a new sense of adrenaline through him. Failure was not in his normal vocabulary.

"You do not need permission from me, boy. I have already told my people to kill any of the known associates and the bitch on sight. Their bail would be covered, and no charges would be brought against them. I am wiping her hold on Liberty City away. There is only room for one at the top, and that's me." His call with the Police Commissioner had been enlightening. They had both agreed to turn a blind eye on each other in favor of the execution of the new Rascalov clan. The damage and death toll from the natural gas line rupture was enough to have FIB and IAA on everyone's case for a _very_ long time, and it would dampen his operations. He had agreed with Mitt that he would flush her out into the open and if given the opportunity, kill her. He had denied any involvement with them, and in a show of good faith to the commissioner, said he would have the best of the best on the hunt.

"I need you to do this for me. Consider it our own debt agreement. You killed my son, and now you can kill the one who has threatened my own hold on this city. I will no longer hold a grudge, you become free to live your life, and you will stop getting involved with those who run against me." He sat forward in the chair and held his hand out to the man who he once wanted dead more than anything.

"I thought that was settled when I shot Faustin off the roof of Perestroika." Niko narrowed his eyes; he would not be conned into owing this man anything. He wanted out of the life of crime, and now that he was almost there, he would refuse to make any more deals. ' _But what about Kate and Roman?'_

"Smart. Cunning, and to the point. No wonder people have been fighting to have you on their side." Kenny closed his fist and leaned back into his chair, "But also brash and dumb. No one refuses me."

"I don't think you understand. _I need to kill her_." Niko struggled to move his body and eventually slumped back down when everything just started hurting too much to move, "And I don't need you to do it. I have managed just fine in this city. She is after me, not you, and there is nothing you could provide me that would make it any easier to kill that bitch." ' _He has a far reach, he could locate them quickly, and possibly even kill everyone before you knew where to look…'_ He frowned with the way his mind was thinking.

"Boy I understand more than you think. You are no good to anyone dead. There is plenty I can offer you, and I will not offer my services again. The clock was set an hour ago." Kenny crossed his arms and looked down to the floor. They had come to the point in their conversation that he could no longer delay. He glanced over to his watch and realized that time was running out. The doctor would be back in to put Niko out in order for him to heal and their window would close forever.

"What do you mean?" Niko shifted on the bed trying to get comfortable. His body was starting to realize that he had several major injuries, and it was fighting him. Sleep wanted to take him under so he could start to heal, but his brain was telling him he needed to pay attention and figure out what Kenny was really after, and possibly find a way to save Kate and Roman.

"I received an email, as did every other high ranking member of the underground, that if we wanted to claim the reward for Kate and Roman's capture, we needed to bring you to her- dead or alive." He glanced toward the door to the hospital room and watched as a couple of shadows passed by the blinds that covered the interior window.

"Is that what you are here to do?" Dread slid down his body in an icy blanket. ' _Is he here to just collect on a ransom?'_

"No. My hands are tied. I have given my word to those I owed that no harm would befall you from my men… Or me. And that should I happen across Natalya, she would be terminated. But it is not me you should be worried about Mr. Bellic. You have angered many in this city." He stood up from the chair and moved to look out the window that led to the hall to see if anyone was approaching and clicked something in his pocket, "Which just so happens, that those you have angered, are my enemies, _and if there is a way to kill two birds with one stone, I am willing to take that chance_." Kenny finished in Russian hoping he would start to understand what was taking place. He walked over to the end of the bed and placed his hands down on the railing. It was now or never.

The last few conscious moments flashed across Niko's mind while he was at the church graveyard. Karen was more than likely dead, the helicopter had been missing from his view and he feared the worse, and the guilt sat unpleasantly in his stomach- he had lost Kate and Roman. Bernie was probably on to the next life, and Bernard had undoubtedly never received the help he needed as the NOOSE agents had dragged Roman out of the crumbling church. He had left Francis with Ron in the basement and there was no telling if additional forces had gone down there to finish off the job. Jacob wasn't in the room with him and he tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. All of his friends were injured, missing, dead, or dying, and he had failed every single one of them. His eyes burned with the unshed tears that threatened to fall. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest and he winced at the feel of it.

He had fled Ray's reach in Europe to try and complete his mission in life- to find the one who had betrayed him and his comrades. Instead he had been given so many possibilities and opportunities. He had renewed a friendship with Florian. He had restored the relationship between himself and Roman- at least he thought he had. He had made more friends than he had growing up- Packie, Dwayne, Brucie, Badman, Jacob, Mallorie, Gerry… and Kate. He had found love- something he didn't feel deserving of.

His hands shook as they fisted in the thin hospital sheets. There was no plan anymore, there was no visions of a happily ever after, there was only revenge now. Cold, unrelenting revenge. And he would exact it, no matter the consequences. Everyone who had threatened him was dead- Vlad, Mikhail, Playboy X, Ray Boccino, Jimmy Pegorino, Dimitri Rascalov, Ray Bulgarin- and there was only one name left on that list, Natalya Rascalov. She would be the last and final person he would kill. He would storm into whatever hide out she was at and be the one to end her existence. But he couldn't do this on his own. He regretted it wholly, but he was in need of some serious help. And there at the end of his hospital bed stood the one person he figured would never be a helping hand. The last man on earth who he should enter any deal with. ' _But what choice do I have? I have to save Kate and Roman. I will just have to find another way to be free…'_

"Then help me find her and save my cousin and girlfriend. Consider this my offer of services." He extended his own hand this time. He was stuck in a hospital bed and his options were beyond limited. This would be the way to get his revenge and set right the wrongs that had befallen them all. He would enter into a deal with the most powerful man in all of Liberty and figure out a way to pay him back later. He hated asking for help, but this time he would make an exception, he was getting borderline desperate. The devious smirk that spread over Kenny's face was unpleasant as he moved to take Niko's outstretched hand.

The door opened and Jacob rolled Bernard in a wheelchair into the room, "Now I know you aren't trying to make deals with the devil in here." Bernard looked tired, but the spark was there in his eyes, and he was hoping nothing had been done that was irreversible. Jacob had seen Petrovic walking the halls and rushed to find someone he knew could help.

_ "Speak for yourself. The devil only speaks of himself in such ways." _ Kenny rolled his eyes and moved back over to the chair and plopped down in it. He crossed his arms tightly and fumed like a child at having been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

" _Your arm Kenny."_ Bernard took over for Jacob and wheeled into the room on the opposite side of the bed from Kenny. Jacob moved to lean against the door blocking the exit. They had rushed through discussing what would take place in the room and Bernard had told Jacob to not let Kenny leave till their business was finished. And while Jacob had his own agreements with Kenny, he was willing to put all that aside for his friend.

" _You want to do this here?"_ He shifted minutely in the chair and glanced toward Niko and then Jacob. He had an alliance with Jacob's crew and didn't fear having him in the room but was uncomfortable at what was about to be shown. He liked to keep personal business close to the chest, and not have anything that could be held against him let out in public.

" _You upheld your part of the deal. You showed up at the church, forced the enemy to retreat, and gave us a chance to recover and get help. You have marked Niko as untouchable. And have given me your word that he would not be targeted by you or yours. And for all that has been done I offer to you to be released from our binding agreement. Your debt is paid to me."_ Bernard leaned forward slightly, grabbing where his side wound was, and held out his hand facing upward across the bed.

" _As I have done all you have asked, completed the tasks before me, you will release me from my debt and will not seek to gain additional favors from me."_ Kenny pulled out a metal object from his pocket and dropped it into Bernard's outstretched hand. He sighed heavily and shoved his jacket sleeve up on his left arm where a faded debt tattoo and burn circle were etched into his skin. He leaned into the bed and rested his arm over Niko's legs, "Just don't fuck it up. This is the only one I have, and I don't want it to look stupid."

Bernard only gave him a blank look before removing the lid from the electric cigarette lighter. It was bent and filed down to form a thick line, that would be the slash through burn on the tattoo. He grabbed Kenny's wrist and turned the arm to be able to see the tattoo he had placed there years ago. " _I officially extend my thanks for your help and wish you well on your journey._ До свидание ( _Do svidaniye)."_ He forced the burning tool down over the tattoo and held firm to his wrist. Just as quickly as he placed it upon his skin, did he remove it, leaving behind the perfect burn mark.

" _Fuck!"_ Kenny yanked his arm free and pulled it to his body, cradling it close. "What is done is done. I have a few of my closest men searching known hideouts of Dimitri's. My guess is she vacated them. If I happen upon her location I will call." He stood up on slightly shaky legs, rubbing at the burn, and turned to look at the man lying in the hospital bed, "My table has recently lost a valuable member. I could use someone like you. Think on it some. Pay and protection are a difficult commodity to come by in this world. I can give you both." He nodded to the other two men in the room, "Gentlemen. I take my leave."

He started to head toward the door before Bernard spoke up, "You had best stop by room 229. I believe you have something of value to give him." He glared over his shoulder to the man he had just settled his debts with. He held no love for the kingpin of Liberty City, but he had his uses. And it had proven valuable today to have him in his back pocket. The phone call he received while bleeding out had been unexpected. But it seems like several other people had reached out to the Russian crime lord and was calling in every favor they had. Kenny had called him to see if one more debt could be settled, and Bernard had thrown every single clause into it he could think of as his life slipped away from him.

"Nothing gets past you I see. I will make a pitstop on my exit. My car is outside waiting for me then?" He watched as Jacob moved out of his way, and he rested his hand on the handle to the door before looking back to Bernard.

"No one will stop you from leaving. You are free to go. Your name was cleared on our list. IAA has no quarrel with you." He pushed up his glasses and nodded once letting Kenny know that they would not be coming for him for the attack on the church or the gas line rupture. That was all getting pinned on one person and her organization.

"Very well. Goodnight everyone." And with that, the most powerful man in Liberty City exited the room, letting silence descend upon the other three in the room.

"He owed you?" Niko was fading in and out some due to the level of pain that was flashing across his body. He had held off long enough to ensure he understood what was going on, but his body was trying to drag him back to sleep. The realization that Kenny had been in Bernard's debt column had been the last thing he would've thought possible.

"It is something we can discuss later. Jacob can you find the doc and get him in here?" Bernard turned the wheelchair back toward the door and started to wheel around the bed so he could sit on something more comfortable than the flimsy seat of the wheelchair. He needed to get their plan of action in motion and needed to get Niko sorted out first.

"Sure. You need anything? You really shouldn't be out of bed." Jacob glanced toward Niko to see him paling slightly, but his concern was for the man that was listed as a puncture patient and had a fall risk label on his wrist.

"I am fine. This bag of fluids will last me a while. The doc please. And hurry." Bernard motioned to the IV bag that hung from the stand on his wheelchair, that looked to be half full. He moved the chair Kenny had been using and pushed it flush against the hospital bed, before rolling himself forward to be able to climb into it.

"On it." Jacob open the door quickly and left in search of the doctor. Time was slipping away from them and they had much ground to cover rapidly. He answered his cell phone as he rushed through the busy halls of the ICU wing.

"What all do you remember? I can fill in some of the blanks." Bernard stood up and shuffled over to the more padded chair and slowly eased himself down onto its surface, letting out a sigh of relief. The hospital gown and sweatpants offered little comfort and he pulled on the sleeves trying to get it to sit right over his body. He had been gravely injured in the past before and would manage this time around. He had an important oath to uphold and he would not let Niko down.

"Just. Just that I have failed." Niko looked away from him toward the closed window. He could tell it was dark outside and he tried to think of how many hours had passed since he fainted in the graveyard. ' _Too long. There is no telling what is happening to Roman and Kate right now…'_

"Not yet. None of that talk. I have a bird in the sky that's doing thermal scanning. Any large group of heat signatures in an abandoned building, and a team will be on it in a hurry. LCPD has shut down all the bridges in and out of Algonquin. The airport is on lockdown and so are the ports. FIB took the liberty of shutting down water traffic and started randomly boarding ships looking for Kate and Roman. She will not get very far. We've boxed her in. The whole city was instructed by Mayor Ochoa and Deputy Mayor Dawkins to stay indoors and to not leave their residences unless it is an emergency. It's like it was back when we had terror threats six months ago. Anyone outside is being questioned by police." Bernard shifted in the chair to get into a more relaxed position. He was on some heavy duty pain meds, and while it kept the majority of his pain at bay, there was still a dull throbbing coming from his injury. He placed his hand over his side to feel for any blood.

"Just because things are on lock down does not mean she will not slip through our fingers. NOOSE was in on the hit." Niko leaned back heavily into his pillow and felt himself start to sweat.

"An unfortunate circumstance. It was one unit that was on the payroll of Dimitri, now his cousin's payroll. They have been identified and are on the wanted list." They fell into a heavy silence. He could see Niko was struggling to stay awake and was fighting off the agony he must be in. Bernard had only gotten a brief rundown of what went down as he was being tended to by a LCPD medical rescue team. He had heard the firing of guns and Roman's protesting screams before he was evacuated on a stretcher to the front of the building and loaded into an ambulance.

He looked Niko over and could see that a bandage was wrapped around his head. The crisp white of the gauze stood out against the slightly tanned skin. He had various other bandaids over his arms and neck. And as Bernard kept looking him over, he could see a lightweight cast hand been wrapped around his knee under the thin hospital blanket. He was in worse shape than he was anticipating, and it would only put a slight damper on his plan. There was no way Niko would want to stay in this hospital and let others seek out Natalya.

"Okay my dear boy, help is here." The older medical examiner walked into the room rolling a cart with him. Jacob held the door for him and promptly closed it once they were inside. There was a lot of commotion out in the halls of people rushing between rooms. There were too many casualties and injured to keep track of and it was all hands on deck.

"Hey doc." Bernard offered when Niko remained silent.

"How bad does it hurt young man? I can put you back under if its unbearable. I told that other man to not wake you yet." He opened several drawers on the cart and pulled out various vials and syringes.

"I do not wish to be asleep." Niko turned to look through his blurry vision at the man he had met in the McReary home a couple of nights ago.

"Very well. Then a pain killing cocktail coming right up." He placed a couple of glass vials down on the top of the cart and moved over to the computer by Niko's bed and entered his password. He went to work on logging the medicine and scanning the items to make sure no one else would give him something extra and run the risk of killing him. He had administered drugs not that long ago to wake him from the medically induced slumber, and he was hoping to be able to get him back to sleep. Niko was injured and in no real shape to put unnecessary stress on his body.

"Any word on my agent, the deputy commissioner, or our friend Bernie?" Bernard figured he would need to be the one to hold the conversation. Niko looked too out of it to ask the questions he knew he must be wanting answers to. He watched as the doc scanned the paper bracelet on Niko's wrist before scanning the vials again. With steady hands the doc pushed a syringe into the topper of one of the vials and measured out the correct dosage.

"You know it is not my place to give out that information." He glanced up from his vial to give Bernard a hard look. He was not in the mood to be bossed around more.

"Right now isn't the time for protocol. I'm her direct boss." He sent his own answering glare to the medical examiner that was grating on his nerves. He had forced him to go into the room with Kenny knowing he would be the only trustworthy person in the building. He had not expected him to leave Kenny alone in the room with Niko and he took off from his room once he knew what was going on with Jacob's help. While he didn't think Kenny would go against their agreement, he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, and would make sure nothing went wrong.

"Are you next of kin?" The doctor ignored the stares and lifted the IV line to be able to administer the drugs to his patient.

"This letter might help." Jacob moved forward into the room and pulled out a sealed envelope. During the chaos of the Petrovic men showing up and chasing off the Rascalov men, Jacob had pulled Niko and Karen into cover. He wasn't sure if he should remove her helmet or not and decided to go ahead and grab the letter she had told him about. Her body was limp and was unresponsive to his attempts to wake her. Even Niko wasn't responding to his attempts to wake him. He watched hopelessly as the trucks tore off in different directions being chased by other sports cars. He had lost eyes on Roman and Kate.

He continued to guard both of the unconscious bodies till Ron emerged from the basement staircase with a couple of his fellow officers. Together they had managed to get some EMTs to their location to get Niko and Karen to a hospital. Francis had been escorted out through the ramp according to Ron who tried to fill in Jacob to what he knew. They had loaded Niko into an ambulance before Ron got a call from the Police Commissioner and had to leave him.

"That Agent Daniel's?" Bernard recognized the size of the letter, the IAA seal, and knew in an instant that had to be her final words. Every agent wrote one and kept it on them when going into dangerous situations in hopes that if they didn't make it, their letters would get to whoever it needed to go to. While they normally operated in anonymity, some of them still had families and loved ones back where they called home.

"She told me about it before trying to pull Niko to safety. The sniper got a headshot in." He held it out to the man in the chair and waited for him to take it.

"She say a name?" Bernard hesitated to take it, knowing how personal these letters were, and felt that if he took ownership of it, she would truly be gone.

"No. Just that it gets to where it needs to go." He placed it down into the man's held out hand and leaned into the footrail of Niko's bed. He was tired, but was thankfully unharmed, unlike most of his friends. Badman and him had taken the back row of the pews so they could keep an eye on things and direct their men on where to go as they protected the church. They had been slightly shielded by the blast as they were closest to the main entrance.

Bernard grew solemn as he turned the letter over to see ' _Boss_ ' scribbled neatly in her handwriting. He didn't want to open it right away. He didn't want to believe her as dead just yet and looked up in time to see the doc administer another medicine to the IV line. "I am listed as her next of kin. Now tell me what you know."

The doc placed the used syringes into the reciprocal before moving back to the computer to look up the info he had requested, "She has a GSW to her back, large caliber by what the notes list, and head trauma. The bullet only used her helmet as a springboard of sorts. It's in evidence right now. I got a look at it and saw that the bullet had gouged a decent chunk off like it had slapped across the helmet. She is lucky that it didn't penetrate it. She would have died instantly. She is still in operating room four."

"And Francis?" Bernard folded the letter in his hands and kept running his fingers over the crease. He would hold on to it till she either woke up or succumbed to her injuries. He had her star in his desk at their front office and he would be sure to be the one to add it to their wall if it came to it. As far as he knew she had no family left in the Midwest and her only love interest known to him was Niko, and that had been closed and finished.

"That's classified above my clearance. You know high ranking patients have safeguards in place." The doc turned away from the computer and lifted up the chart board from the tray table next to Niko's bed and started running over his vitals, marking down the numbers and readings he needed.

"Do you wish for me to get Kenny back in here? Considering you owe him greatly; I'd hate to see what he would call up for penance. He isn't in the greatest of moods." He would get the information he needed with our without the doctors help. He ranked high up on the food chain and was getting tired of people not realizing that. He had weight that could be thrown around when needed, and he would get this information.

"Don't you threaten me with him. I am in his good graces for now." The doc slammed the clipboard down onto the tray table, angry that he was being bossed around by a bunch of people he disliked. Francis was his boss and friend. Could they not just leave well enough alone?

"Please doc. It's important to me." Niko reached out and grabbed the doctor's wrist that was within reach. While it was somewhat of a relief to know that Karen was alive for the time being, he was worried about Francis and Bernie. Seeing Bernard alive and moving around help quell some of his despair, but until he knew the death toll, and what the next move was going to be, he would continue to wallow in his guilt.

The older man gulped slightly. He liked Niko a lot, especially after seeing the way he cared for Kate. He was listening to the radio in his office when the news networks started reporting a large explosion in Suffolk. He knew that there was bound to be a call for help at the hospitals. He packed up his things, grabbed his doctor's coat, and headed off to the Holland Hospital. The radio was giving off speculation on the attack, who would have done such a thing, and suspected deaths. The initial report listed a few high ranking police officers, including Francis, as missing in the attack. He didn't like to be one to believe everything he heard on the news, but…

He sighed tiredly and picked up the remote from Niko's bed and turned on the television. The news networks had overtaken every single channel in the city and was doing nonstop coverage of the attack. He dropped the remote to the bed and felt his eyes water seeing the devastation that had befallen the city block where the church used to be standing. The hospitals had been overrun with injured people and dead bodies on top of their already admitted patients. He had tried to stay by the ambulance doors looking for those he knew and cared for. When Francis had been wheeled in, they had coded him. Nurses and doctors ran over in droves taking over for chest compressions and working the air resuscitation mask, as well as clearing an operating room.

"He was code blue at the door. I'm sorry. I do not know more right now. Just what the news is talking about." The doc patted Niko's hand and lifted his tired eyes to examine the IAA agent who had forced him to work with Kenny. How he knew of the debt owed to the kingpin, he couldn't be sure, but he would be avoiding him in the near future. "I need to check on the numerous other patients on this floor. I will come back when I get more updates." He rushed as quickly as he could toward the door, leaving the medical cart behind, and exited the room.

"Damn. I wanted to ask him about Bernie." Niko watched as the man left the room and turned his attention to the television screen.

" _We have been getting reports that our beloved Deputy Commissioner is still in surgery, and his condition is listed as critical. Several other people were pulled from the rubble at Suffolk Church where a helicopter crashed down into the roof in an apparent attempt to fight the terrorists that caused the natural gas line to explode along Emerald Street, destroying all the buildings in its path. According to the church's website, there was a scheduled wedding that took place during the attack. There would have been traditional mass this evening, but instead I believe candlelight vigils will be held on the front steps. Priest Mark has survived the attack and is getting medical treatment at Bohan Hospital. He has asked for prayers for those that were in the buildings that collapsed."_

The news chopper hovered over the still burning church and showed the destruction of Emerald street. Every building was either completely destroyed or was close to falling over. Police cars, firetrucks, and ambulances lined the rubble filled streets. Their lights were bouncing off every surface that the fires had yet to reach. Near the far end of the street close to Denver Avenue was a giant raging fire. The flames soared above the buildings and danced wildly. Utility workers were scrambling to contain the out of control blaze. Niko could hardly believe he had survived through what he was seeing. It looked like a warzone.

" _Niko! NIKO!_ "

" _Miss you need to calm down! You are injured!"_

_ "Get your hands off of me, o asi ayúdame te lo quito!"  _ Niko recognized the high pitch shrill of Mallorie's angry Spanish from outside the door. Quickly approaching footsteps, that clicked against the tiled floor, greeted them before the door ripped open.

"Oh my God NIKO!" Mallorie burst through the door, her face streaked in tears, and her hair a jumbled mess. She still had on the white suit jacket that was covered in soot and dirt from the explosion and ensuing collapse. There were a few splotches of blood on her black jeans and suit jacket and she uncontrollably shook in her panic. Another female was behind her and looked directly to Jacob and held out her hands. Silently Jacob nodded to Niko before moving to his girlfriend to pull her into his arms.

"Are you hurt? Are you _dying_?!" Mallorie's voice was cracking under the strained pitch and she wiped furiously at her face as more tears continued to form and fall from her eyelashes. She trembled from head to toe as she neared the foot of his bed. Her eyes were wide in fear and she looked so desperately lost.

"Mal. I'm so sorry." Niko was relieved to see her standing before him, but his heart was heavy with guilt. He had failed to protect her husband.

"Oh _Niko_!" She stumbled around his bed to where the doc had stood moments ago and collapsed down on the surface next to him. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him as loud, body racking sobs tore from her. She had been told that Roman was missing and so was Niko, Bernie, Kate, and Jacob. Badman hadn't been able to locate them before a giant helicopter flew overhead toward the back of the church. The police were trying to get them to evacuate to the other side of the street while the enemy forces were retreating. She didn't want to leave, but knew she was in danger being this close to the fires and still crumbling church. Brucie had helped hold her upright across the street as more NOOSE, FIB, IAA, and LCPD squad cars rolled up. She clung to Brucie's arm, as well as Little Jacob's girlfriend's hand. The most horrendous noise caused them all to look up in alarm as the helicopter spun out of control above the church before crashing down on top of it in a giant fireball.

Little Jacob's girlfriend turned away from the sight they made and buried her own face into her boyfriend's neck. She had tried to get Mallorie to see a doctor, but she refused to till she saw her family. Jacob had sent her the room number in a text and they both took off down the many halls to find it. She was overjoyed that her boyfriend was unharmed and standing before her, but she felt so terrible for her friend who lost her husband and other friends on her wedding day. A few tears escaped from her eyes and Jacob gently wiped them away.

"Niko! He's gone. No one can find him! Bernie, Kate," She let out a hiccup, "They are missing too. I can't believe they are _gone!_ " She buried her face into the crook of his neck and tried to take solace in the fact that Niko was alive, in a hospital bed, and would be willing to go find her husband and friends. ' _He will know where to look. He will go save him and Kate. I know he will! And Bernie will just be perfectly fine and ready to assist him in his search!'_

Niko tried his best to hug her back, but she was pressing down on him, and it was causing his chest to hurt. He let out a shaky breath and leaned his head into her hair, "Don't worry. I will get him back. I will make her pay for what she has done. I will bring back Roman and Kate unharmed. I promise, I will." He felt his heart squeeze at the thought of Bernie. His nightmare resurfaced and he forced himself to not dwell on it. If he was meant to say goodbye, then he prayed that he had at least said the right things to him.

"And Bernie?" She felt another sob shake her body as the thought of losing her friends and husband was just too much to bear.

"I will try to get some information. Who would have been the last to see him?" Bernard spoke up from his chair hoping he would be able to track down someone who might know.

"He was-" The lump that formed in his throat was difficult to dislodge. ' _He is gone… There was so much blood.'_ "I. I left him with Roman and the NOOSE agents before going to find Kate. She had screamed out and we took off in search to where she was. I don't know about Bernie's condition. But I can and will find Kate and Roman."

She leaned up from his neck to look into his solemn eyes, "Please. _Please._ He doesn't know. I haven't told him yet. He's a father. A child without a father has a lot to worry about. Kate also doesn't deserve to be put through anything else. I saw the news. I don't know if any of her brothers are alive." She sucked in a breath, letting a hiccup rock her body, and closed her eyes. The tears just wouldn't stop, and she was starting to worry that she was having a full blown panic attack. Things were starting to cramp up on her and she slightly curled into Niko's body seeking comfort.

Niko reached up and brushed a couple of her tears away, "I will bring them both back. But you need to calm yourself. This can't be good for you or the baby." He glanced over to Bernard to see him sporting a rather determined look and could almost see the wheels turning in his head. They would formulate a plan and head out as soon as he could stand up on his own. Niko tilted his head slightly as a warm, wet sensation started to spread along his upper thigh. He kept his hold on Mal and looked down to where he thought he felt liquid. He couldn't see anything besides Mallorie's body, and he wondered what was causing it.

"I'm trying. God, I feel so tired now." She slumped down on him and sluggishly nuzzled into the crook oh his neck, "I can see why Kate said this is her favorite place. Very comfy." She blinked slowly and felt the drag on her body as her energy started to plummet.

"Mal? Have you seen a doctor?" The warmth was spreading down his leg and he tried to shake Mallorie out of it so he could figure out what was going on.

"Hm? No. Wanted to see you first." She tried to lean up off of him, but her arms felt like lead. Her tired mind was trying to let her know something wasn't right and she did an internal check. There was a sharp pain where her womb rested and a dangerous thought crossed her mind, "I think something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" He helped her sit up on the bed, and as soon as her body left its resting place against him, he could see blood had spread on the thin bedsheet over his right thigh. He watched as she studied the blood then looked down at her own body. The color completely drained from her face and she looked up panicked to him. "Stay calm. Stay with me." He reasoned with her as he could see the utter terror starting to build across her features.

"I've already lost Roman once today, not our baby too…" She whispered hysterically.

"Jacob grab the first nurse you see. Now!" Bernard had watched as she sat up and could see that something had gone terribly wrong. It was news to him that she was pregnant, and having gone through the stressful ordeal of the church blowing up, then falling down around her, the gunfight, realizing that Roman had been kidnapped- she was bound to stress her body out too much. He leaned forward in his chair and reached out to grab one of Mallorie's trembling hands, "You're both going to be okay. Just breath nice and slow."

Jacob and his girlfriend ran out into the hallway shouting for help and went in search of a nurse or doctor. Niko could hear the labored breathing of his cousin-in-law, and he sat up on the bed scooting closer to the side by Bernard to give her room to settle back down into his arms. She gratefully leaned into him and closed her eyes trying to focus on her breathing and calming her wildly beating heart.

"Everything will be okay. I will make sure of it. Do not worry yourself anymore. Your child will have a loving father, as well as an uncle and aunt who will want to take them out to the park. We will spend the holiday's spoiling them. They will grow up not knowing the pain of loss or war. They will be happy and protected. I give you my word Mal." Niko rubbed her back soothingly trying to help calm her down, as well as settle his own fears. He had yet to hear about his friends and if they were alive or not. He was stuck in this hospital while who knew what was happening to Kate and Roman. ' _Please be okay Kate and Roman. I will be on my way shortly.'_

aaaaaa

Kate felt like her body was free falling, and as the inevitable ground rapidly approached her, her body slammed back into consciousness. The unpleasant jerk to awareness left her feeling hungover and strung-out. She wearily blinked her eyes open to her surroundings and immediately knew she wasn't safe. The heat of the room was the first thing to greet her, as it was unnaturally hot. There was a lamp on that sat upon a desk in the far corner of the room. She realized that she was laying on her stomach on a rather lumpy surface. She tilted her head to the side to try and figure out where she was and saw that she was laying on an uncovered mattress. Alarm bells wailed in her mind and she tried to sit up quickly.

The move forced her shoulder to remind her that it was still recovering, and she sucked in a painfilled gasp. She shook as she moved to her knees and hands wishing the world would just stop spinning long enough for her to get her bearings. There was a heavy weight pulling on one of her wrists and she glanced down to see a large metal cuff was closed and padlocked around it. Panic gripped her heart and she immediately tried to pull at it. The chain was thick and heavy, and her eyes traveled its short length to where it was bolted to the wall under a blind covered window.

"What the fuck!" She whispered out and sat back on her legs. She looked down to her body and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that her dress was still on and so was her undergarments. ' _At least I'm unharmed for the time being…'_ Carefully she observed her immediate surroundings and felt the despair set in. She was in some kind of office- there was the desk by the door, filing cabinets lined the opposite wall, a window was placed just behind her, and she was chained to the wall sitting on a nasty looking mattress. There was a faint glow that flickered through the blinds and she wondered if there was a fire in the room next to her and that was where the heat source was coming from.

She took in a fortifying breath and tried to remember how she got here. She touched her shoulder and winced as she remembered Francis popping her arm back into its place. They had fallen into the basement of the church, "Francis… Oh. Oh… oh my God… Frankie…" Her eyes watered as she saw his body stumble back away from the open door after getting shot by the shotgun. Her brother was murdered in front of her and the pain at his loss was weighing down on her. She leaned forward to rest over her hands and tried to calm the roll of her stomach, gagging as the bile rose up her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand that was shackled to the wall and anger burned to life inside her chest.

She was getting tired of being in these situations. First at her Ma's place, then at Jerkov's, the threat at the hospital, and now the church. "What the _fuck_ happened! Everything was just fine then it wasn't. This shit is getting hard to follow." She closed her eyes and scrubbed her hands over her cheeks trying to remove the tears that slowly worked their way free. Her heart was breaking over Francis dying. He hadn't moved from his spot and she crumbled down to the mattress as the loss settled on her. She tried to hold in the sob that bubbled up in her chest. ' _I am in an unknown place, on a filthy mattress, chained to a wall. I need to try to keep it together. I have to find a way out of here…'_

A creaking noise caused her to jump and scramble back into the wall that held the window. The heat from the wall was almost unbearable and she leaned off of it. She frantically looked around her surroundings to figure out where the noise was coming from and her eyes landed on a figure that was sitting in front of the desk, leaning back into it casually. How she had missed them with her first sweep of the room she couldn't fathom. They were wearing black cargo combat pants that were sloppily tucked into black boots. There were knee pads on their knees, gun in a holster on their hip, a faded white long sleeve shirt was shoved into the hem of the pants and a utility belt of sorts wrapped the person's waist.

She could make out a heavy bullet proof vest that rested over a well-toned chest, the sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows, and the arms were crossed over the black material of the vest. The most unsettling aspect of the person, _man_ , she thought bitterly, was the motorcycle helmet that blocked his face from view. She couldn't tell if they were awake and starring at her, or if they were lightly dosing off. She shifted uncomfortably in their presence and tried to make herself as small as possible. Dread started to seep into her bones the longer she thought about what he had or had not seen. Or what he was doing in the room with her. Or, a more dangerous thought floated across her mind, ' _What he's waiting to do to me…'_

The man tilted his head to the side slightly and lifted up a capped bottle of water that was lying next to him. She watched in horror as he stood up and started to walk her direction. She tried to find some kind of weapon, object, anything that could be used to defend herself. But there was nothing within reach and the chain would prevent her from being able to reach the filing cabinets or desk. She scooted back away from him as far as the metal chain would let her and she curled protectively around herself. She braced for whatever pain was about to befall her.

His clothes rustled as he squatted down at the edge of the mattress, holding out the sealed bottle of water to her. She cautiously looked from behind her hands to see what he was doing and why he hadn't started attacking her. He was perfectly still and balancing on the balls of his boot covered feet. Not being able to see a face was throwing her off and she sent him a questioning glare. She may be thirsty and in need of cooling off, but she knew better then to just accept something from someone who was clearly holding her captive. The wall was burning at her exposed skin and she minutely moved off of it to try and get rid of the scorching sensation that had her body flushed.

They sat there starring at one another for what felt like an eternity before she mustered the courage to speak, "I'm not drinking that. It's probably got drugs in it or poison. I know what you people did to my brother Packie." She shifted more onto the mattress as the heat was causing her to sweat, and she firmly placed her arms around her body as a way to protect it. After Packie had been poisoned she vowed to be more careful of things she ate and drank.

The man huffed out a weird grunt before lifting the visor just enough to reveal his mouth, opened the bottle and let some of the water run from the opening into his mouth without touching the plastic. He closed the bottle and tossed it within her reach before dropping the visor back down. He lowered back to his bottom and crossed his legs as if he were going to sit there and wait for her to take the bottle of water. His arms draped lazily over his lap and he started to drum out a rhythm on his knee pad.

Her throat was increasingly dry, and speaking had caused it to become irritated. She glanced between the man before her and the bottle that rested harmlessly by her hand. "How am I supposed to trust you?" She picked up the bottle and studied it closely. She was craving water as her head was throbbing, her throat and chest were burning, and the heat in the room was causing a headache to form. The only response she got was a one shoulder shrug from him. Deciding that putting her health in further risk wasn't worth it, she twisted the cap off and took a small sip. It was cold and felt so good as the liquid slid down her throat. Her eyes closed in bliss at getting a small form of relief. She lifted the bottle back to her chapped lips and started to gulp the water down.

He used her distraction to move closer to her and study the injury he could see on her head. He had been tasked with making sure she survived long enough till his boss decided on what to do. He was resentful at first but figured it would give him a chance to get to know the female that had pissed his boss off to no end. And to know why Niko had chosen her as his female when there had been someone else in the picture prior, or that was what he was told. He was brought in last minute to this mafia and was only getting bits and pieces as to why the church needed to be blown up and why this woman was to be captured as well as Niko's cousin.

She was attractive, young, and beautiful. And had he been able to see her before the explosion he could envision what had pulled Niko in. He had only been told brief descriptions of their relationship and was instructed to scout them out before the final plan was put in place. He had been jealous of the sports car Niko drove, but shoved it to the side to focus on what to report in on. Natalya was very particular about the information she received, and he was learning to just go along with it. But he was starting to dislike where things were heading- and what he was discovering. The money and drugs were not worth what he was having to go through.

He watched as she gulped down the water and tried to see how bad the head wound was. Her hair was slicked down into the wound and he knew it would hurt worse once it was moved in order to clean it properly. He could also see what looked like a bruise on her cheek that was poorly covered by makeup, having been washed away by the tear streaks he could see on her face. Her throat also looked to be injured, as if someone had tried to strangle her. His eyebrows knitted together at the injuries he was noticing. None of it would have been caused by the damage done to the church.

Her eyes snapped open at the feel of a finger lightly tracing over her cheek. She dropped the now empty bottle and slapped the hand away and went into fight for survival mode. She lunged at him and attempted to wrap the chain around his neck. She may have sustained injuries, but she didn't feel anything as her body hummed with a renewed energy. She managed to catch him off guard as she shoved him down on the mattress and went to work on pulling the thick chain around his neck under the helmet.

He would let her have her fun, until he realized what she was going for. She had pushed him down on his back and was on top of him trying to get the metal chain around him to choke him out. He wasn't expecting her to go for something violent, but given what limited information he had about her, he should've known better than to let his guard down. He took hold of her wrist that was shackled and lifted it up away from his body, pulling the chain taught, preventing her from getting it around his neck. He used his body weight to roll her back toward the wall she was bolted to and pinned her down on the mattress. He tried to keep his weight off of her, so he wouldn't hurt her more, but she continued to thrash around below him and even went as far as to try and knee him in the crotch.

Once her back hit the lumpy mattress she let out a scared whimper and put forth more effort to get away from him and out from under his body. One of her legs was between his and she jerked her knee up repeatedly trying to land a hit where she knew it would hurt. When he pinned her legs in the same fashion as the man in her bedroom her body froze. Fear chilled her efforts, and she shot her terrified eyes up to the helmet of the man on top of her.

He felt it the second she locked up and let a tremble shake her prone body. He lessened his attempts to contain her harshly as the tears filled her beautiful green-blue eyes. He dragged her arms out to the side and bent them toward her head to pin her down and shifted his own legs to close hers together. He would not give her the impression of something more sinister. He slid his hands up her arms toward her wrists and watched as she winced in pain at the pressure. He glanced up to see red welts that looked to form the impression of normal handcuffs. The bruise on her cheek, the finger marks around her neck, he could see the signs, and he felt his stomach pitch uncomfortably. He watched as the first tear tracked down from her eyes to fall back into her hairline.

"Please. Don't." She was shaking uncontrollably now that she was in almost the same position she had been in her bedroom- handcuffed, held down, and about to be attacked. She felt her throat tighten up as she tried to calm her breathing. He had yet to really strike her and had shifted her legs together. He wasn't giving off the impression that he was going to take something from her, only that he was defending himself from her initial attack.

But the longer his weight pressed against her body the sicker she started to feel. Her vision blurred as more tears kept falling from her eyes, "Niko… _Please_. He. He will kill you for hurting me. He killed those other men." She tried to threaten him, knowing that once Niko barged through the door, he would be dead. He had come for her before, and she knew he was out there now trying to find her. "I know he's coming for me, and-and you will not live to see another day if he knows you hurt me." She begged him to not continue. ' _Niko please be right outside that door. I need help!'_

His fingers threaded between hers and he dropped his head in the helmet down to rest against her forehead, letting out a quiet sigh. He was only wanting to check out her head wound, and it had given him more information than he was comfortable with. He leaned up off of her and pointed to her face in warning. He was going to get off of her and did not want to be jumped at again. She gave him a simple nod and her features crumbled as the tears started to pick up with more force. Gently he got off her prone body, pulling her dress down to cover her legs more, and stood up next to the mattress just out of her reach. He could hear her moving around and glanced over his shoulder to see her curl up on the mattress facing away from him and let out a few quiet sobs.

He felt his anger burn to life in his chest and he stormed toward the door in search of his boss. He opened and closed the door harshly, removing the sight of her from him, and leaned into the opposite wall of the hallway. He felt sick and his body was recoiling in repulsion. He would need answers and the only people he knew who would give them to him were down the hall in the breakroom. He shoved off the wall and headed down to where he knew his boss and equal in command were waiting.

He rounded the corner to the breakroom and felt his anger reach a boiling point as he heard her high pitched laugh. He jerked the helmet off his head and slammed it down on one of the tables against the wall. Both Natalya and his counterpart turned abruptly away from the television that was showing the newscast about the attack on the church.

" _The fuck gives?!"_ She narrowed her blue eyes in warning as she twisted around to face the person who had interrupted her joke.

" _Don't play dumb. What was done to her?"_ He pointed back toward the room that Kate was being held captive in before crossing his arms. He scowled when the other male stood up from his chair as if he were going to try and defend Natalya. He had been itching for a good fist fight with that man since the day they were introduced to one another.

" _I do not understand your frustration. What is going on? Is she dead? Beyond medical help?"_ She leaned into the back of her chair as she turned fully around to face her first in command. She frowned at the change in attitude from him and glanced over to Faustin's old bodyguard. The bald man only shrugged at the look and turned back to face the seething man in front of them.

" _She has signs of sexual trauma. I was unaware of that and will need to wait to be able to assess her head injury. She did not take too kindly to me being in the room."_ He would leave out her attempt at killing him. He knew she was already in as much trouble as one could get, and he didn't need to endanger her more. He squared his shoulders and shifted on his feet slightly. He may have lived a very violent and messed up life, but rape was past the line he didn't dare cross.

" _Tobias did you not show him the wonderful video from Vova and Ivan? I thought I told you to read him in fully."_ She tisked at the bald man in the suit and turned a rather evil smile his direction, _"Niko's fuck toy was to be handled however the Albanians saw fit before being brought to the ship. They sent me two men capable of breaking into the residence and were already deranged individuals as it was. Of course, that asshole just had to go and kill my loving cousin before everything could be set up. And to top it all off he killed the men at the McReary house, and I didn't get anything out of it. I do not care what was done to her. She will get hers in the end."_ She shrugged as she glanced to the man who she had hired to be her newest bodyguard. He was capable, skilled, and had extremely _valuable_ information on her nemesis.

"I do not tolerate that level of violence. The fuck is wrong with you people?" He tightened his arms and looked between the two people who had given him a new chance at life. She had said she wanted to exact revenge on Niko and he had heartily agreed to it, but he was beginning to regret his decision. This wasn't just good old fashion revenge; it was torture, and it was _sick_. He had to already put up with the coldhearted contract killer that watched him like a hawk. Natalya was just as heartless, and he would need to tread carefully if he was going to be able to pull off his own escape plan. He looked out for number one before everyone else.

"Niko is what is wrong with me!" Natalya shoved out of her chair and marched over to stand in front of him, "He killed the love of my life and my cousin! He took everything from me in a span of months. I was set to ascend the crime world's throne. How many times do I need to remind you that you owe me, and you will do as I say!" She huffed out tiredly and jabbed her manicured finger to his chest. "Or are the drugs and money not enough for you anymore?" She cocked her head to the side as if in deep thought.

"I do not want any part of torturing either of them. I may have no problems killing someone, but I draw the line at making them suffer." He gently removed her finger from his chest and moved past her toward the open windows of the breakroom. He leaned into the windowsill and watched as their operation loaded bricks of cocaine from trucks to the cargo hold of a luxury yacht, around the large vats of smelted metal. They had used this warehouse as a front, and so far, was providing good cover from the choppers he could hear overhead. The heat alone from the liquid metal would disorient any thermal cameras.

"Such a softie. You're weak. But fine. When you find your big boy panties, go back in there and make sure she will live long enough for Niko to get here. You will be the one to kill her if he manages to get to me first. Tobias let's go check on our other guest. He's bound to have stopped screaming by now." She gave another warning glare to the back of his head before picking up her handgun from the table and walked out the door in the opposite direction.

The bald man, dressed in a fancy looking black suit stopped at his side, " _I hope that my suspicions are wrong, and you are not going to try and betray us. I thought I told you to kill the brother in the basement._ "

" _I shot his neck. We were running out of time and needed to make the extraction point_." He turned to face him and trained his eyes on the television screen to not have to look at the man that was slightly intimidating.

" _Hm. Painful way to die, gagging on your own blood, sounds like making someone suffer to me."_ He straightened his suit jacket over his body before following after his boss, pausing at the open doorway, _"I'll be watching_." Then he left the other man behind standing against the windows of the breakroom.

' _Hope you are. So when I slit your throat I can watch as the life drains from your ugly face…'_ He moved over to the first aid kit on the wall and started to go through everything he would need in order to clean Kate's wounds. He picked up a glass vial and read the name briefly before fighting himself to put it back on the shelf. If she was in pain, she would have to do with the pills they had available and not use up the precious morphine.

He scratched at his thick scruff and scrubbed a hand through his short hair. He was fucked and he knew it. There was no way the man hadn't put two and two together with what the news was broadcasting about Francis. He was ordered to kill him, and he hadn't. He'd done the exact opposite. He'd given the police officer a fair chance to survive and come after them. He even left behind a note that hopefully would be found. He only hoped that Niko wasn't too injured to find them at the blasted warehouse.

Natalya had pulled him out of the sickness and darkness that consumed him, but he realized just how false of an escape it had been. These people were deranged and vile. They were working with the Albanians who were trying to traffic young women for a hefty price. He heard at different times about Ray Bulgarin and some man named Kenny, but after the death of Ray, their timetable jumped greatly, and the plan laid out before him twisted his guilty conscious further. He picked up the television remote and clicked it off. He had seen much destruction in his life and regretted he had brought that with him here.

He gathered the medical supplies up in a nearby box and decided he would go check on the female he had probably scared worse than she already was. He frowned at the feeling he got when her scared eyes had locked with his own. He couldn't understand how men were able to carry through with that act of violence, but then again, the men giving orders his entire life were no better. Including the female that now currently held him by the balls. He let out another sigh and eyed the glass vial that mocked him from the shelf of the med kit. ' _Not now. Need a clear head…'_

The computer monitor in the room caught his attention and the words from Natalya echoed in his mind, ' _Tobias did you not show him the wonderful video from Vova and Ivan? I thought I told you to read him in fully.'_ His fingers absently rubbed against the sides of the box he held as he tried to decide what she had been talking about. He hadn't been shown anything by his equal and he was getting curious now as to what had been held back from him.

aaaaaa

Niko glanced around his small ICU room at everyone who had gathered to work through a plan of attack. Bernard had one of his agents bring in a laptop for him to work on and he sat in the recliner chair, legs propped up, laptop open, and was typing furiously on the keyboard. Little Jacob and Badman were unloading guns from several large duffle bags onto the bed. Niko had managed to sit up fully and had crossed his legs in order to give more space. Brucie had stopped in for a second to ask what type of cars they wanted before leaving the room to work on providing transportation.

They would have to go in rouge. Bernard was in no shape to walk or run and would keep every available camera active to help guide them to where hopefully Kate and Roman were being held captive. He was absently tracing the wood grain of the AK that laid across his lap as he listened to Bernard drone on about possible locations. They had agreed to take Bernard to the IAA front office of United Liberty Paper so he could get his hands on better equipment and to get them better bullet proof vests. Jacob had let them know that the sniper who had shot down the chopper had to have been skilled and was using a larger caliber round.

Kenny had said something about the clock being set and he sat up as something clicked in his mind, "Kenny mentioned that every high ranking person got an email from Natalya. Did either of you get one?" He glanced between the two rastas who were loading full magazines into pistols.

"We didn't. But I'm sure we could get Kenny to send us his." Badman offered as he tucked a pistol into the back of his pants.

"Niko, _what are you on about?"_ Bernard glanced to him before resuming the new orders he was sending out to every branch that was under his jurisdiction. He was hoping they would get a location soon. So far everything that had been checked out had been a dead end. All the known hideouts had been empty and not a scrap of evidence remained.

" _Kenny said that she was offering the ransom money for Kate and Roman to whoever brought me in dead or alive. I have an idea, but not the right players to pull it off."_ He rubbed the side of his face where the bandage was sticking to his skin. He was feeling stronger now that the pain medicine had kicked in. His chart listed a hairline fracture on his kneecap, a concussion, several contusions to his legs and arms, but nothing he hadn't fought through before.

"That would be suicide. And we won't be able to get Kenny to be convincing enough to just hand you over. Not to mention she was bound to see that Kenny's men had come to our aid. And not her defense." He closed the laptop slightly with the new information. He could gather what Niko was wanting to plan but was completely against the idea.

"Whatcha going on about?" Jacob started to pile the loaded guns back into the duffle bags so they could head out soon.

"It wouldn't have to be Kenny. There was paid off NOOSE agents who attacked the church. Ron could act the part of a crooked cop. He works under Francis; it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make it seem like he had enough of him and was wanting to branch out. But the part I'm having trouble doing is connecting the dots on how he would be aware of the ransom." He tried to visualize how he would need to convince Ron to play the part. It shouldn't be too difficult since he seemed like he genuinely cared about the people who lived in Liberty and had a close relationship with Francis. Niko figured Ron would be wanting his own version of revenge.

"Niko forget that part. You would be walking right into a trap! Not to mention we'd need to get our hands on the email to respond back in order to get the correct drop point. And if they give a small window, there is no way I will be able to get that area surrounded and covered." Bernard would dismiss this idea completely. It was reckless, sloppy, and ran the highest risk of failing. He would not let him walk into certain death when they still had time to get together a better plan.

"It's our best option. And every second I spend here sitting on this damn hospital bed is another second Kate is probably getting tortured or Roman is getting beaten to a bloody pulp! I will not sit by any longer!" Niko raised his voice and was just done with the waiting. He had let the meds start to dull his pain and he was feeling rested enough to head out. He didn't know where to start looking but his gut told him to start with the Platypus. It seemed like everything had started with that ship and was going to end with it.

"And to top it all off Mallorie is being tended to and I can't be there to help support her. She has been through plenty because of my choices! Bernie was shot and for all I know killed because I was careless. Karen, your agent, is fighting for her life because of me. You were almost killed because of me. Every single person who has been close to me as been hurt! And for what? I will not just wait to start setting things right!" He tightened his hands over the rifle that laid across his lap. He would wait no longer.

There was a tentative knock on the door, and they all grew silent at the interruption, "Come in." Niko called out wondering why if it was a doctor, why they hadn't just walked in.

Ron pushed open the door and shuffled in on unsteady feet. He was pale, sweaty, and looked shaken to his core. His NOOSE uniform was dirty, and Niko could see some of the blood on his sleeves and shirt from where he had helped Francis. His face covering hung loosely around his neck and his helmet was tucked up under his arm, two full plastic hospital bags were clutched in his other hand. His red hair was a wild mess that was sticking up in random places, likely from wearing the helmet for too long and running his own hands through it. His haunted eyes glanced between everyone standing in the room before seeing the empty futon couch that rested under the window.

"You okay there officer?" Bernard moved the laptop off to the bed and went to stand up to help him. He recognized the look well and knew he was not doing okay.

He stumbled through the room and sank down onto the couch, dropping his helmet and bags down to the tiled floor, "I. I did everything right. I- I know I did. I don't…" He mumbled before dropping his face into his hands and letting his shoulders slump. Jacob and Badman moved over toward him and moved the helmet and bag out of the way, handing the items off to Bernard, before sitting down on either side of him. Bernard looked over the helmet for damage before putting it on the tray table and heaved the heavy bags onto the bed between Niko's legs and the guns.

"What has you so shaken? It's better to let these things out then let it fester." Bernard turned the chair to face the officer more fully before lowering back down into it. He figured he must know Niko in order to come into this room unannounced. ' _Maybe this is the officer Niko was talking about being Francis' man.'_ _He had seen the look many times on the first time agents that came back from assignment. They looked broken, hollow, and like they were contemplating what their life had come to. He would force every single one of them to talk to a therapist and get the all clear before going back out into the field._

Niko pulled the bags up to him and started to look through the items. It was all of his clothes that had been removed when he got to the hospital. As well as his pistol. He pulled it free from the clothing and had to untangle it from his dress pants and belt. That's when he noticed the piece of paper and the wound care packet. He looked to the people in his room, noticing how they seemed preoccupied with the state of shock Ron was in, and removed the paper from his pants. He discarded the packet down to the blanket before flipping open the folded piece of paper.

Boxy, scribbled letters in his home language stared up to him:

' _Menala Metal, East Docks on the West River, Alderney.'_

He reread the words over and over. The handwriting was slanted and appeared to have been written hastily. His eyebrows knitted as something clicked into place, ' _This must be where Natalya had Kate and Roman taken to!'_

The room erupted into chaos as Ron stood up abruptly screaming about how his men couldn't have betrayed them. The shouting must have alerted the doctors and nurses outside the room as they came rushing in. Jacob and Badman tried to contain the man who was slipping into a fitful rage. Bernard had even stood up swiftly trying to force the man to look at him and not focus on what he didn't know. The doctors were working quickly to get a tranquilizer ready as the man had started to shove Jacob and Badman off of him.

"You need to calm down officer! We are not here to hurt you!" Bernard stumbled back into the chair as he was pushed away.

"Cut it out man!" Jacob shouted as he took hold of the pistol that was still strapped to Ron's side. He wasn't going to take any chances and have the man start shooting them or anyone else. He took one of his arms and tried to force him back down onto the couch with Badman's help.

"Francis is dead because of me! I should have known my men were being bought out!" He fought back harder against the people who were trying to contain him. He was beyond mad and angry that he had missed all the signs. He worked for the most corrupt cop on the force and somehow missed that men in his unit were slacking off and turning a blind eye on what was going on. He should have seen it sooner.

"He is still in surgery Ron! You didn't do anything wrong! He will be alright!" The medical examiner shouted over everyone else and managed to jab a syringe into the Ron's arm and pushed the medicine into his body. It would calm him down greatly and then he might be able to figure out what was going on in the room. There were guns all over the place, more visitors than what was allowed, an empty bed, flat lining machine warnings- ' _Wait flat line?'_

They all turned to see that the bed was empty, a discarded hospital gown was thrown over the foot of the bed, the bedsheets crumpled up in the center, and Niko was nowhere to be seen.

Niko worked the buttons closed on his dress shirt, scrunching his face at the feel of the still slightly damp blood, and took the stairs quickly. He knew where to go, and he would not waste any more time in his search for Kate and Roman. He had to shake his head as he realized that he was in the same staircase that he had fought Karen, then the Russians in. He left the shirt untucked and pulled the rifle from under his arm. He would find a car in the garage to take and then he would head out to Alderney.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that the garage door was missing. Likely having to be removed due to the damage from the bullets and being slammed open several times. He checked back up the stairs to see if anyone had started looking for him yet before moving out into the underground parking garage. He was starting to feel his knee protesting being used, but he ignored it as he headed off into the sea of cars, looking for one that would be fast and inconspicuous.

Tires screeched against the pavement and a black comet came around the end of the aisle, rapidly approaching his position. He moved back between two cars and aimed the rifle getting ready to defend himself. The car slowed down as it got closer to him and he could hear the passenger side window lowering. The car jerked as it stopped abruptly in front of him and he ducked slightly to see who was driving.

"Get in loser. We have people to save!" Packie sat behind the wheel and was leaning forward some in order to make eye contact with Niko.

"Packie?!" Niko lowered the rifle and moved forward to open the door. He hastily sat down in the car and had to do a double take at his friend. The last he saw of Packie was in the hospital room, and he could hardly move his arms properly.

"The one and only!" He smiled broadly and put the car back in gear, "Where to?" He took off for the exit of the garage knowing that the people he jacked this car from were bound to start looking for it.

"Menala Metal. I believe that is where your sister and my cousin are being held captive." He placed the rifle down across his lap and removed the pistol from his waistband, "How are you able to walk? I thought it was going to take you forever to get back to normal." It was surreal seeing his friend behind the wheel of the car. The more he looked around the interior, he started to recognize it as the one he had stolen to go face Dimitri. ‘ _Packie must have taken it off of Brucie’s hands…’_

"Fucking Kenny Petrovic walked into my room. I thought I was a damn gonner for sure. He then tells me he has the antidote for the poison they use, and that he did not poison me. I was about to shoot him. Frankie left me Pa's old pistol. I would've taken out the most powerful man Niko. Fucking wild!" He took the ramp up to the surface and exited the parking garage. Ambulances lined the streets trying to get their patients into the drop off lane. Packie looked on in wonder as he passed them all on his way to the bridge toward Alderney.

"And he just gave you the medicine to counteract the poison that you ingested?" Niko looked over to his friend in awe. He was prepared to just head out on his own and was thankful to have him with him. But with how little firepower they had on them, they would need to get their hands on more. He wouldn’t leave Packie defenseless if they got separated.

"Pretty much! Told me that we could work out logistics later on maybe joining forces. He pulled out some hospital scrubs from the cabinets in my room, dropped them on the bed, and just left. I injected myself with the syringe he gave me, got dressed, and figured you'd need help. I was watching the news all day. I already lost Gerry. And now it looks like Francis is tapping out. I will not lose Kate as well." He swerved to avoid a couple of police cars that were trying to block off the intersection.

"Head back north. I have a safehouse close to here. We are going to need more firepower than what I have." Niko braced himself against the dashboard as Packie turned abruptly into an ally to cut across to the other street to head back north. "Your brother wasn't dead. But I fear he might be now. Gerry had escaped prison with the help of the IAA. He was providing cover at the church when the helicopter he was on crashed."

"What the fuck is going on?! Who the fuck hates us that much to want to wipe us off the face of the planet? I know we aren't the most well liked people but damn!" He peeled out from the alley and floored it, looking to Niko for direction on where to stop.

"That building! The corner of Galveston Avenue and Xenotime." Niko pointed to the five story building where a yellow patriot was still parked out front of the stone staircase. "And to answer your question- Kenny's son? I killed him, and his crazed fiancé is out to get us all. And she just so happens to be Dimitri Rascalov's cousin. Who then gave the Albanian's the go ahead to wipe your whole family out. But we aren't going to let that happen." He had to brace himself again as Packie screeched to a halt behind the large yellow patriot.

"You got that right." Packie followed Niko's lead and got out of the comet and jogged after his friend into the apartment building. He was ready to start killing people. Whatever was given to him by Kenny was working wonders in his body. He hadn't felt this healthy in a long time.

Niko didn't even bother to acknowledge the security guard, who stared at them open mouthed, as he pressed the elevator call button. Packie shifted back and forth on his feet trying to stay warm and alert. The doors dinged as they slid open and they hurriedly entered the lift, Niko pressing the penthouse key.

"Penthouse? Just how well off are you now? First the swanky place in Middle Park, and now this place?" He eyed his friend suspiciously. He liked to think he did a good job of handling his money, but maybe he should start asking Niko for advice on how to land an upscale place such as this.

"This place was not bought with money. I killed the previous tenant." The doors dinged again as they slid open to Playboy X's penthouse apartment. Niko walked into the open floorplan of the unit and headed straight for the bedroom, calling out over his shoulder to Packie, "Grab what you want or need. We leave in five."

Packie stood there for a second stunned at how casually Niko had explained that he obtained this place from murdering someone. He shook his head and body to rid it of the uneasy feeling before entering the apartment in search of other weapons or maybe some decent clothes. Hospital scrubs weren't really his thing but was the only thing available in his hospital room for Kenny to grab. The living room was spacious, and he smiled at seeing the pool table. But for how large of a space, it looked like it hadn't been lived in for several months. There was a thin layer of dust on the large flat screen television.

He absently scratched at his stomach and grimaced at the feel of the stiff hospital scrubs, "You got any spare clothes? This shit is uncomfortable and not gonna help me out in the cold."

"Yeah. Help yourself." Niko called out from the bedroom sounding distracted.

Packie rounded the corner of the partition wall and did a double take. Niko had yanked on a pair of dark green combat pants and was tugging a long sleeve thermal shirt over his head. Packie could see a multitude of scars on his back before the cloth of the shirt removed them from his view. Niko turned to face him, and he darted his eyes to the bed where there were two bullet proof vests laying on it.

"We are about the same size. I have some jeans and jackets you can borrow. And wear one of these vests. These people will not hesitate to shoot to kill." Niko walked over to a large cabinet armoire and opened the two doors. Guns were displayed on the doors and shelves and Niko pulled out one of the interior drawers to find the knife he was looking for.

"Jesus dude…" Packie wandered over to stand at his side to see his weapon stash. Everything from simple handguns to fully automatic machine guns lined the walls and space inside the piece of furniture. He watched as Niko shifted through a drawer of switch blades, long bladed knives, throwing knives, and retractable blades before pulling out a couple of boot knives and fixed bladed ones.

"This is just what I have at this place. My full arsenal is at the place you were at yesterday. But this will have to do." He tucked the two fixed handled knives into their respective holsters and carried them over to the bed. He sat down by his boots and worked on lacing them up and getting the boot blades into their hiding places. He was going to go in fully prepared this time. There would be no second guessing or openings for someone to get the upper hand. He would slaughter every single person that stood in his way. The coldness he was used to worked its way across his shoulders spitefully at the thought of ending the lives of so many.

"Do we even stand a chance?" Packie opened a couple of drawers on the dresser looking for some jeans and comfortable shirts. He was startled to see just how much Niko had tucked away in this apartment and couldn't stop his thoughts from wondering about all the crazy stunts they pulled off together. ' _Was he always this prepared? Or were we just lucky?'_

"I will be going in by myself. You will have to be my eyes on the outside. I won't risk your life. Or anyone else's for that matter." Niko muttered the last part under his breath before standing up from the bed, tucking the other knives down into the waistband of his pants to be able to pull them out quickly. It would also allow him to have them hidden from sight and could be used as a last resort. He picked up the bullet proof vest and dropped it down over his head. The weight was a welcomed one to his body.

"Fuck that! My sister is in there!" Packie had found a pair of jeans that would fit and was in the middle of pulling them free from the drawers before Niko had spoken. He had ducked out of the hospital room once the antidote worked its course, which was unnaturally fast to him, and was completely set on going to find his sister on his own. Too many of his family members had reached their end, and if he could help prevent one more death, he was going to do whatever it took. It had been fortunate that he spotted Niko emerging from the stairwell on his way out of the parking garage.

"And I will need someone to watch my back and stay safe. If it all goes to complete shit, then you can at least call for backup before trying to rush the place." He adjusted the straps on the vest before pulling on a gray sweater, zipping it up to about mid chest. He picked up a blue lightweight jacket that had white stripes down the sleeves. He ran his thumb over the logo on the chest feeling homesick. It was one of the few articles of clothing he had brought with him that survived the fire at Roman's place.

"So you want me on sniper duty? Isn't that your thing?!" Packie shoved his anxiety aside to try and get dressed in some of Niko's clothes. It felt weird undressing and then putting on his friend's clothing. But they were in a hurry and he would try to rush to get ready. He was more concerned about trying to kill people using a sniper than putting on some other dudes clothes.

"Can you not fire the gun?" He pulled the jacket up his arms and zipped it up to just below the opening of the sweater. He moved back over to the chest of weapons and pulled out a dual shoulder holster. He worked it over the jacket and tightened the straps to get it to stay put as he would be moving around. He hadn't used actual gun holsters since the war, and it felt wrong to have them on again. He would need to rely on what he knew to be able to rescue his cousin and girlfriend.

"I mean. Yeah. But I'm not exactly the marksman you are…" Packie pulled on a soft long sleeved shirt and tried to squash his fear and get the bullet proof vest on. He had never worn one before. It had never occurred to him that he would need that layer of protection. They were small time criminals. He hadn't even worn one when they robbed the Bank of Liberty. And as he stared at the heavy, thick material of the vest, he began to question how he hadn't been killed already.

"Packie. Look at me." Niko could hear the hesitation and doubt in his friend's voice. There was only a year that separated them in age, but sometimes Niko felt like there was a decade between them. Packie was young at heart and held a lot of pain inside, putting up a brave face to face the world. Niko knew better and would do his best to bolster him up for the upcoming attack.

Packie managed to lift the heavy vest over his head and was trying to fix the velcro when he felt his insides tighten up with the tone his friend had taken, "What?"

Before every job Packie would go through his plan with the boys standing in the kitchen or living room of his Ma's place. They would joke, drink, snort coke, or do whatever it was that would calm them before leaving. He could picture Gerry and Derrick's faces as they laughed right along with him at something that was said between Michael and Gordon. How the easy banter would squash his nerves. He took confidence from his older brothers and friends. But this time felt completely different. This time he was taking precautions. This time he was sober. This time he was without his brothers. _This time_ he would be watching out for someone instead of being the one out front and center.

This time was different, and it worried him greatly.

He fiddled with the velcro on the vest and turned his attention to his friend that was going to be entering into the enemy stronghold. He trusted Niko with his life, had done so many times, and he was trusting his friend to bring his sister back to him in one piece. They stared at one another for a long time before he dropped his gaze to his feet not liking the look on Niko's face.

"You are skilled. Don't doubt your own abilities. I would not be trusting you with this, if I thought you might miss and kill me. As you have trusted me to watch your back after only just meeting, I will trust you to do the same. And I have plenty of ammo if that's what you are worried about." He watched him over his shoulder as Packie shifted on his feet nervously. He could guess at what he was feeling and didn't like putting him in this position.

He studied Packie and had something click in his brain- He looked just like he felt the first time they were given orders to march out into war. The uncertainty, the uneasy tightening of his shoulders and hands, the avoidance of saying what was really bothering him- it was like seeing himself at the outbreak of the wars. The pit in his stomach lurched at the sight and feelings. He rested his hand on the edge of the cabinet door and tried to find the right words to say to help his friend. But his mind was blank and wouldn't conjure up what was needed in this moment.

"Yeah. Yeah. Alright. I got this." Packie slapped the velcro straps closed and moved over to his friend to see what weapons he might be able to get. He would need a backup weapon if he was attacked from his scouting place. He wouldn't leave himself open for attack should someone get the jump on him. He had been lucky at the club and didn't want to find himself in the same situation again.

"Good. Kate will need her brother to watch out for her." Niko tucked two pistols into the underarm holsters, ignoring the larger problem that sat between them. His legs shook at having been on them for so long and he forced them to lock under the strain. He had stolen several vials of pain meds and epinephrine from the medical cart in order to help bolster him if he needed the help. Which he would need both in order to push through his pain to find Kate and Roman and kill everyone who held them captive. ' _Natalya will not be allowed to live another second longer…'_

"So. What's the plan?"

aaaaaa

Kate watched as Roman was dragged into the room by his arms unconscious. The men dropped him carelessly on the edge of the mattress she rested on and worked on getting the metal cuff on his wrist before bolting it to the same ring on the wall that held her chain. She tried to stay as still as possible to not attract any unwanted attention. She had been left alone for what felt like an hour before she could hear noises on the other side of the door.

Roman's face was slightly swollen, and she noticed that one of his eyes was so puffy that she couldn't be sure if he would be able to see out of it. There was a trail of blood from a cut over his eyebrow that had worked its way down the side of his nose into the stubble of his mustache. He was breathing shallowly, and it made her worry he was going to freak out on her when he came to. ' _If he comes to…'_

The men spoke in hushed voices in a language she couldn't understand and would glance her direction every so often. Their eyes made her skin crawl unpleasantly. She knew the look and forced her eyes to stay trained on Roman's face to keep from seeing the hungry stares. ' _Don't look at them. Don't let them see your fear. Stay calm. They will leave shortly.'_ She kept repeating it over and over in her mind hoping the men would just walk out of the door already.

She had been lucky that the last person to interact with her had not taken things further when she attacked him. She had berated herself for trying, but at the same time couldn't find it in herself to stay negative. She had tried to protect herself and she wouldn't tear herself down while she was being held captive. She needed to focus on getting out of there and hopefully finding someone who could help her. The man's actions had been so confusing once she replayed them in her mind. ' _He had seemed gentle and curious more than mean and evil. Unlike these two who look about ready to come at me…'_ She mustered the courage to look at them once more and flinched at the lewd smirks that were spreading across their mouths.

"You two get him secured?" Natalya leaned into the doorframe of the office and scowled at the men who were standing around over their captives. She had given them strict orders to dump Roman off with Kate so they could keep a better eye on them. They were then supposed to go back to loading the ship up once Roman was secured. She wanted to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. She glanced at her watch to see how much time was left on the offer she had sent out for Niko’s capture or death. There was only three hours left. ‘ _And then I can be rid of these two…’_

"Yes. He will not be able to escape." One of the men answered her immediately moving away from the wall to stand in front of the mattress, his partner doing the same. They had recognized the sharpness of her tone and forced themselves to not show her how badly she scared them.

"Good. Don't need these two running off and getting killed when Niko isn't even present." She folded her arms and tilted her head to the side motioning them to move out of her line of sight. The men scrambled over toward the filing cabinets like trained hunting dogs. The smirk lifted the edge of her lips- the power she wielded was addicting.

Kate recognized Rebecca from Niko's apartment immediately, "What the fuck are you doing here Rebecca?!"

"Pretty bold words for someone who is at _my_ mercy." The smirk deepened at the outburst and she waved her pointer finger at the two men in the room to stay alert. She had been looking forward to having some _quality_ time with the one who Niko doted over. With how uncaring he had killed her fiancé; she would be sure to drag out the suffering for every wrong that was brought against her. Starting with the one Niko loved before taking the rest of her anger out on his cousin.

"Your mercy? Don't make me laugh. Your nothing but some desperate chick who can't get her own man." She glared at the female who had flirted with Niko and had left them at the apartment with empty threats. Carefully Kate sat up on her knees and got prepared to shoot down whatever retort was sent her way. She was not scared of her and didn't care that there were other men in the room who were armed. She would stand up for herself against this pathetic excuse for a woman. ' _Let's see you try and win Niko over now once he realizes that you were in on getting Roman and I captured!'_

"Watch it. Or you will find yourself without a tongue to speak with." Natalya moved into the room and had to suppress the laugh when the armed guards gave her a wide birth, not daring to enter her personal space or hinder her in anyway. Her hands itched to strike the look right off of Kate's face. There were so many wonderful ways to harm this female floating around in her mind as she approached the edge of the mattress.

"At least my silence will have more meaning than any sound that slips from that dirty mouth." The backhanded slapped connected with her bruised cheek and she let out a cry of pain. The force of it caused her to fall back down to the dirty mattress. Shakily she moved her unshackled hand to her face and felt the sting and bite of open skin. She had not been expecting to be hit with such strength and she fought against the burn of the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes.

Natalya dropped down on top of her and pressed her face down into a spring that was poking out from the mattress. She grabbed a chunk of her hair that was still slightly braided and pulled it tight relishing in the pain filled gasp that left Kate's mouth, "You will only get one warning. I want you intact for when Niko gets here. He slaughtered the love of my life and I plan on returning the favor. I can't land on a good enough way to end your stupid existence, but when the time comes it will not be enjoyable for you." She yanked on one of the diamond earrings, teasing the possibility of ripping it from her earlobe.

"Boss. _There is something you need to see_." The man with the motorcycle helmet hurriedly walked into the room and paused when the cold eyes shifted his way. He had heard the cry of pain from down the hall and ran toward the office room that he knew Kate was held in. He just hoped he would be able to get there in time to stop anything worse from happening. He had seen the way the men were acting and heard hushed whispers from the crew on what they wanted to do once Niko was killed.

"What?" She roughly pushed off of Kate's body and stood up from the mattress, wiping her bloody hand off on her dark skinny jeans. She was furious at having her fun momentarily disturbed.

" _It's about Kenny. I think you need to go see for yourself. Tobias has the computer up."_ He jerked his thumb back toward the entrance and hoped she would just go. He watched as Kate tried to stop the bleeding from a new cut on her cheek and winced. He was thankful to have the helmet on as it helped cover his reactions from Natalya.

" _That man finally coming to his senses? Move out. I want you two back on helicopter surveillance, once we get an opening we will move out."_ She motioned to the other armed men in the room who immediately snapped to attention and rushed out the open door to go back to their post.

" _Don't know. You want me to patch her up?"_ He hadn't moved from his place in the center of the room and forced his body from showing signs of his anger. He didn't like seeing how badly Roman had been beaten and was working on extinguishing his rage over seeing the fresh blood on Kate's face. They were both suffering for something that could have easily been avoided.

" _Not unless you plan on roughing her up some more. She isn't any worse off than she was. I'm more worried about my ring being damaged than to give a shit about her bleeding all over the place."_ She inspected the diamond of the engagement ring that Lenny had bought for her. His mother had given it to her at the funeral saying she deserved it after all the heartache they had been through.

" _Go clean it in the breakroom. I can have Tobias meet you there with the laptop."_ He held his hand out to look at the ring, and she placed her hand down onto his palm. It was somewhat bloody, but none of the clasps had bent or broken. He glanced back toward where Kate was sitting on her knees and clutching her cheek, a few silent tears falling onto the surface of the mattress. The large diamond had definitely done some damage with the strike to her face.

" _Fine. Make sure the boat is ready for launch. I want to be ready to leave in under an hour or so."_ She removed her hand from his and walked out of the room needing to make sure her ring was alright and not damaged. It was all she had left of Lenny.

He counted off a minute in his head before moving over toward Kate and Roman. He pressed his finger to Roman's neck to make sure his heart was still beating and strong. Satisfied that he had a normal heartbeat, considering his injuries, he knelt down in front of Kate. She shifted away from his hands still not trusting him, and he couldn't blame her. After everything she had been through, he was surprised she was even willing to stay by Niko's side. ' _Maybe she doesn't know everything…'_

"Let me see it. I do not have much time before I am forced to leave this room, but I can help if you let me." His English wasn't as good as he'd like it to be, but it was passable.

She stared at the visor and tried to imagine where his eyes would be, or what his facial expressions were. His actions were so confusing to her. He clearly was working for whoever had them captive, but he hadn't tried to hurt her. He had offered her help and care. He hadn't even tried to take things further when he had her on her back earlier. Her cheek was burning under her hand and she slowly dropped her hand to show him the damage. She knew she might regret it, but a friendly gesture would be welcomed.

"I am going to touch your chin and face. If you try that stunt again, I will hurt you this time." He warned her and scooted closer to her, noticing that she only flinched back instead of moving away. He waited for her to nod or agree to him touching her, and when she gave him a simple nod, he cupped her opposite cheek and tilted her head to the side to be able to see the opening better. "It looks worse than it is. I cannot do much without risking my own life. But here." He pulled a square cloth from one of his vest pockets, "It is at least clean. Keep pressure on it." He released her face and placed the cloth down into one of her hands.

"Thank you?" She moved the cloth up to her wound and winced at the pressure. ‘ _I swear I know him from somewhere…’_

"Like this." He moved her hand away from her face, somewhat pinched the skin closed with his fingers and placed the folded cloth over it, before moving her hand back up to her cheek, "Keep the pressure conse-con- how do you say it?"

"Consistent?" She offered to him, completely at a loss for his gentle nature and complete lack of hostility shown to her. Her tired mind wanted to warn her that this could just be some ploy or trap to get her guard down. There was no reason for the man to be nice to her or Roman, and for all she knew he could have been the one to hit Roman's face. She gave him a once over, looking for weapons or other signals that he was just messing with her. The gun on his hip was daunting, but other than that, she couldn't see any obvious weapons on him.

"I think so. Not too hard. Not too light. Yes?" He nodded and shifted away from her before standing up. He had spent too much time in the room and couldn't be sure that his boss wasn't aware of it. He made to move to the door before he felt her hand grab his wrist, lightly pulling his arm toward her. The skin of her fingers was soft, and it gave him goosebumps. He turned to look down at her to see what she wanted, moving his body around to face her. He would see what she wanted, then leave- he needed to maintain his loyalty to his boss before finding a way out of there.

"Do I know you?" She hated the helmet even more as it kept her from understanding what he was feeling or thinking. He was built and was about the same height as Niko. They had similar skin tones and as her eyes travelled down his body to the arm that she had grabbed out of reflex, she noticed tattoo ink at the junction of his elbow. Her eyes narrowed trying to see it better in the dim light. Carefully she twisted his wrist to move the arm more open for her to be able to read it and get a better look at it.

He glanced down to see what had caught her attention and immediately jerked his arm free from her grip. He roughly shoved his rolled up sleeve down to cover it and shook his head menacingly. "You have seen nothing. We do not know one another." He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the exit, shutting the door behind him. He needed away from her and Roman. As he neared the breakroom to check in with his boss, the sounds of distant gunfire wafted down the hall.

aaaaaa

"Should I go up to the dock crane? It wouldn't provide much cover, but they'd be scrambling to find me." Packie stood next to Niko outside the comet. They were using binoculars to scout out the factory. It had taken them all of a minute to know this was the right place. Armed guards roamed the catwalks and along the border wall of the shipyard. The nighttime air was freezing and still and did nothing to help quell the dangerous feeling that sat in Packie's stomach. There were too many clouds in the sky, and it made the area darker than it normally would be. The shipping yard and factory was buzzing with activity and there was no way in his mind that this wasn't the place that held his sister.

"The muzzle flash would give you away. Even the muzzle break I have wouldn't completely dispel the gas or flash and is only meant to help with kick back. I think the cover from this factory should be good." Niko lowered his binoculars and looked up to the building they had parked next to, "Remember. Follow me and take out anyone who gets behind me or has a clear shot. I'm going in through the dock side. Use the upper windows to take out those you can see." He studied the exterior of the building trying to count the men he saw on patrol.

"Got it. You watched my back last time. I got yours this go round. I'll call when I get into position. Don't start the party without me." Packie tossed the binoculars down into the open trunk of the comet and picked up the large caliber semi-automatic sniper rifle. He wasn't used to using such heavy weaponry, but Niko had given him a brief rundown. He would trust the crosshairs, aim for the center of the bodies, and count his shots. How Niko could explain things so calmly unnerved him.

"Take the extra ammo with you. There are only five rounds per magazine. It reloads similar to the rifles we used on the bank heist." Niko checked the rifle he held and flipped open the scope cap. It wasn't his favorite rifle, but it would do in the meantime. He had grabbed everything he would be able to carry in order to conduct a full on assault of the factory. He would give it his all and leave nothing to chance.

"Alright here goes nothing man." Packie threw the strap to the heavy rifle over his shoulder and picked up the duffle bag of extra ammunition. The ride over to Alderney had been spent with Niko telling him how to use the sniper rifle, how he would enter the building, and how he would extract his sister and Roman. There was no lighthearted banter, no jokes, no nothing but serious talk. He offered to drive to give Niko a chance to rest. He had seen him tuck syringes into his jacket pockets and commented on it. He was told it was morphine to kill the pain he was in and epinephrine to keep him going on his feet.

He had dropped the subject after that. Packie didn't like seeing the drugs on his friend but could understand why he brought them with him. If he happened to get shot or hurt worse than he already was, he would need something to help carry him on. It only cemented to him just how dangerous and desperate the situation was.

"Packie?" Niko shut the lid to the trunk and paused before heading off to the side entrance of the shipping yard. He had forced himself to only focus on the task at hand, and not let his thoughts drift or wander. But standing out in the cold, strapped up to the best of his ability, he felt he needed to say something to his friend. He never gave pep talks or speeches before his unit would move out or head into battle. He would state facts and make sure everyone knew their role. But after running with Packie, he had begun to think that certain things should have been said beforehand.

He had never told someone to look after his mother, aunt, or cousin before entering dangerous territory. He had assumed he would walk away from any fight and it had carried him through. But now he would make sure someone knew who to watch out for. To give someone else the chance to pass a message along if he wasn't able to walk away. He partially turned to face Packie to let him know his closest thoughts and feelings.

"Yeah?" Packie paused on the first rung of the fire escape that lead to the roof of an abandoned factory and glanced over to the man he trusted with his life, and who was now entrusting him with his.

"If this goes south- Tell your sister I love her and tell Roman that he was a better brother to me than my own." Niko turned away from him not wanting to see his reaction to his words. He readied his rifle and hesitated a second longer before taking off in the dark, ducking behind buildings, cars, and structures to stay out of sight from the patrolling guards.

"I knew it!" Packie whispered out excitedly before climbing up the ladder to get into position.

Niko ducked down behind a large conduit box. The guards didn't seem to be bothering with straying too far from the building and he couldn't figure out why. The sounds of a helicopter overhead caught his attention and he glanced up to see where it was. He remembered Bernard saying something about thermal scanning of the city and realized the men must not be trying to get away from the factory. He could see smoke and steam coming out of the large stacks and figured the heat scale was probably hiding the count of bodies. ' _Smart. Really fucking smart of them. But they underestimate me…'_

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pressed on his Bluetooth earpiece to connect the call, "Go ahead." 

" _I'm in position. The dudes are spread out along the catwalks and don't seem to be looking out for anyone. Most of them don't even have a rifle. You want me to start dropping them?"_

Niko moved from his cover and pointed his own rifle up to where Packie was looking, and sure enough, men lazily walked the upper perimeter, "No. See if you can take out the flood light on that level. Get them heading in one direction. I'll hop the fence while they are distracted and get to the lower level people. They will notice me soon after that I'm sure. Take any and all of them out that you can. Focus your sights up top. I can handle myself down here but will be an easy target for them up above." He spoke softly and crept up to the next large storage bin getting closer to the metal chain link fence.

" _Rodger that. Bye, bye light!"_ Packie lined up the large flood light and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he pulled the trigger.

Niko watched as the light popped in a spray of sparks, followed by a quiet clap of thunder from the gun. He took off for the fence and jumped up to the top railing, swinging his legs up to the side and dropping down over the top. He rolled once he landed on the ground and scooted over to the wheel of a giant construction dump truck. He brought his rifle up to scout the catwalk and watched as two of the guys ran over toward the broken light to see what was going on.

One of the bodies dropped and the other guy looked around panicked before Packie dropped the other one, " _Should we keep score? I think that should get me ten points."_

"Whatever you say man." Niko heard the sound of approaching feet on the gravel and pulled one of his knives from its resting place. He glanced around the edge of his cover and saw the person was heading his way, face turned up to look at where the light had been on. With trained precision he moved from his cover and threw the knife toward the person as he ran toward him. It embedded into the person's neck with a sickening thump. He caught the body as it fell and twisted the knife to end their life quickly, before jerking the blade free. He scanned his surroundings and took off for the edge of the building to take cover.

" _There is more of them heading toward the light. I think they know. Shit!"_ A body dropped down from the upper level and landed close to where Niko was tucked against the wall, " _There is no way they don't know now. Get going dude!"_

_ "Sniper! All hands on deck!" _ Someone shouted from up above him and he twisted around to see if he could get a shot, "Packie they know. Start droppin' them!"

" _On it!"_ Packie moved his sights and started to target the others that had been oblivious of their attack.

Niko took off on unsteady legs to try to get inside before he was discovered. As he neared the edge of the dock, people started to run around the corner toward him. He fired off at the first couple of people, catching them by surprise, before he ducked behind a metal pillar. The bullets ricocheted off of the steel and struck the ground and wall close to him. "Packie. Need cover."

" _I see 'em. I see 'em!"_

Niko could feel the wind as the bullets rushed past him toward the people just beyond. They immediately started screaming and firing in random directions not sure where they were getting fired upon. He waited for a break in the noise to move from his cover and get closer to the back entrance. Once the moment presented itself, he made his move, ducking from his cover to start firing at the men who were scrambling to take cover of their own. Packie was splitting his time between the upper level and the ground targets.

" _This helicopter has been getting closer to our location. Should I worry about it?"_

"No. Leave it be. It might help us out." Niko killed another guy as he reached a side door, "I'm going to enter the building. Keep picking these assholes off."

" _Will do. See you on the other side. I'll look for a clean getaway."_

Niko threw open the side door and made his way inside the building, checking the corners and blind spots for enemies. The place was sweltering hot and he blew out a heavy breath at the feel of it. He lined up his scope and tilted the rifle sideways to keep it out of his line of sight. He would be in close quarters and wouldn't need the long distance scope in the building. Everyone who ran past him in the middle of the large factory were screaming about being under attack. He moved silently along the outer wall behind cover toward a staircase he could see. He would take the high ground to be able to start eliminating them.

Blond hair caught his attention and he squatted down on the first couple of steps that led up to the catwalk and offices. He tilted his rifle back up to use the scope and followed her movements around the center of the room. Her hair was braided in one long tail that swished back and forth as she walked. Her face was pulled down in a furious scowl and she kept shouting orders to the men around her.

" _Get this shit onboard NOW! You! Go get Kate and Roman and bring them down here. I will not wait any longer_." She moved up a boat ramp into the long yacht out of Niko's line of sight. He swung his sights over to where she was pointing and saw a bald man ascend a different staircase that led to the upper floors. He would follow them and get to Roman and Kate before they could be put on the boat.

' _They must be up there somewhere.'_ Niko dropped his rifle and climbed the stairs, keeping his eyes on the landing in case someone was heading his way. He kept a low profile and tried to avoid the light from the large vats of what looked to be molten metal. So far it seemed like everyone was focused on getting the drugs loaded onto the ship than searching the warehouse for intruders, and Niko would use it to its full advantage.

" _Fuck! Petrovic's men! They are all over the place!"_ A panicked voice screamed out from somewhere down below and Niko took off in a light jog for the first door he saw that led into the interior offices. He wasn't expecting backup but was glad it had arrived. Gunfire erupted on the lower levels as he cleared the landing and moved into a breakroom of sorts.

" _Niko a bunch of vehicles just rolled up. They look to be attacking the warehouse."_ Packie spoke into his ear, he sounded winded over the call.

"I think they are Kenny's men. He was instructed to flush Natalya out in the open. Don't shoot them." He whispered into the earpiece. He couldn't hear anyone else in the room or anything beyond the sounds of guns firing rapidly. It was significantly cooler inside the room than it had been in the warehouse and he shuddered at the temperature change.

" _Hurry Niko. If it's Kenny, then I'm sure they are going to try to make a run for it."_

"I'm working on it. Work on our own way out. I don't want to stick around to find out if Kenny will stay true to his word." There was static over the line before it went dead. Niko removed his phone from his pocket and saw that his no signal symbol was flashing. ' _Damn. A jammer.'_ He shoved the phone back into his pocket and checked the corners of the breakroom before moving to the open door that looked to lead to a hallway. The hall was dark, and the only light came from the open doors along the hall that were open to the factory down below. The orange and red glow was eerie and gave the place a weird vibe.

"Stop it! Let her go!"

Niko recognized his cousin's voice and took off in the direction he heard the noise. Screw stealth. He didn't care about what was needed, as all he needed was to set his eyes on his cousin and girlfriend. He had been through enough bull shit and just wanted to get them out of here and to safety.

"Roman! No! Where are you taking me!" Kate screamed out and forced Niko to run faster than was comfortable for his legs. He could hear the panic and terror in her voice, and it caused the rage inside him to thrash around. There was a bunch of shouting in Russian and English and he couldn't make out what was being said before a gunshot rang out. He pressed his back into the wall and took cover hoping to not have been heard in his approach as silence descended upon the hallway.

His heart pounded against his ribcage as he strained his ears to pick up some kind of noise or voice. ' _Come on Kate, Roman. Say something. Please!'_ He flexed his fingers against the rifle and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. The gunshot could have been anything- a way to get Roman and Kate to comply with what they wanted, a way to shut everyone up, or worse, the execution of one of them. His leg trembled under him and he leaned heavily into the wall to try and alleviate some of his weight from pressing down on it.

"Get up now and do as I say. We don't want anyone to get hurt." The voice sounded oddly familiar to Niko and he started to edge his way down the hall where he could hear the voice. It was pulling at a memory from not that long ago, but he was having trouble placing it to the many people he had met and seen since coming to Liberty City.

"Okay! Okay! Just _please_! Don't kill me." Roman's voice trembled as it floated down to Niko. He had reached a corner in the hall and glanced up to see a security mirror placed in the opposite corner and he watched as a couple of men emerged from a doorway, pulling on a thick chain, before Roman stumbled out into the hallway. The man who walked out after Roman shoved at his cousin and forced him to trip over his feet into the wall. They all laughed at him.

"Get up fatso. We don't have time for your clumsiness." The bald man pointed a pistol at Roman who was resting on all fours recovering from hitting the wall.

Niko had seen enough and rounded the corner aiming his rifle and shooting the first two men who had gone to force Roman to his feet. There was not a single tremor that went through his body as he shifted his focus to the other men in the hallway. Someone in a motorcycle helmet yanked Roman to his feet and used him as a shield to keep himself from being killed. The end of pistol was pressed to Roman's temple and caused Niko to falter in taking a shot at the last man standing in the hallway.

"Let. Him. Go." He kept shifting his rifle between the two men, trying to decide on his next target. There was only the man holding his cousin and the bald man who looked familiar to him. He glanced to Roman and felt his anger reach an all-time high. His face was swollen and one of his eyes was completely swollen shut from being beat repeatedly. He looked exhausted and scared, but once he realized that Niko was standing before him, he let out a half smile before dropping it as it hurt too much to move his face.

"Been a long time Mr. Bellic. Last I saw of you was in the Faustin home." The bald man spoke from his position next to Roman. He trained his pistol toward Niko knowing this would be his only chance to capture him for his boss. He would use Roman as leverage to get him to do as he said.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit." Niko pointed his rifle toward the bodyguard he remembered from his time working with Mikhail and Dimitri.

"Real close range. Wouldn't want to risk shooting your own cousin in the face while going for one of us." He moved closer to Roman, roughly patting his cheek to mock Niko. Roman jerked to the side to get away from his hand, forcing the other person to move him around into a better position.

"I'm a better shot than you." He looked back toward Roman trying to see if maybe he'd get a better shot at his captor. He was held firmly in place against the man's body, and he disliked the way he was holding him. It wasn't the most natural way to use someone as a shield as their arms were exposed in front of the person. The right hand was gripping the collar of Roman's dress shirt and the left held a pistol under his chin. The distance between each person would make it difficult to get both shots off and not have one or the other men kill his cousin. He was stuck in an impossible situation. He knew if he managed to kill the man holding Roman, then the other man would shoot him. And vice versa. He moved his gun in the direction of the other man and ran the scenarios around in his mind.

"Choices, choices Mr. Bellic. Choices you never gave our boss. It looks like you lose this round. Surrender to us and you'll get to see both Roman and Kate one last time." The bald man taunted.

Niko's whole body filled with dread as he went back and forth between the two men. His hands shook on the rifle knowing that his first shot would need to kill the person before he went after the other one. Roman was unprotected, but he had on a bullet proof vest. He could only hope that the person would target him over Roman. He frowned at Faustin's old bodyguard knowing the best option would be to take him out first, but that left Roman at a very high chance of being shot next.

"NB. It's going to be okay. Right?" Roman asked between deep breaths.

"Roman-" Niko started before he watched as the man slowly lowered his arm from the collar of Roman's shirt, turning it to show the inside of his wrist and elbow. He saw black ink at the crease of his elbow, and he instantly read the "Freedom" tattoo that he had placed there over ten years ago. He lost the feeling in his hands as everything came rushing back to him from his past. His eyes darted to the helmet in disbelief and saw a small nod, before the person shoved Roman toward the wall.

Together they both targeted the man who was standing in the hallway and fired their weapons. Each bullet struck the person in the head and chest, ending the person's life instantly. The body crumpled down to the floor in a heap. Roman shrieked out at the sound of the guns and stumbled away from the wall he had been shoved at and scrambled down the hall toward his cousin. Niko rushed forward to him to make sure he hadn't been hit by a bullet that could have ricocheted off the walls or floor after exiting the body. Roman threw his handcuffed arms over Niko's head and hugged him as if his life depended on it.

"Roman! Roman!" Niko ducked out of his hug and turned to face the other person in the hall who was still armed. He stood protectively in front of his cousin and pointed the rifle toward the only other living soul that would have had that tattoo. His entire squadron had chosen that as their mark. It was something the fifteen of them had agreed on and it pulled them all closer together after a long week of avoiding the enemy. He had been the one to put the ink on most of them before Florian had done his. His brain was short circuiting the longer he stared at the man wearing the motorcycle helmet.

"Darko?" He could hardly form the name from his lips as he felt so numb. He firmed his grip on the rifle trying to make sure he didn't lose grip. He kept raising the rifle to take aim at the throat before lowering it in disbelief and repeating the process. Too many emotions wanted to take over and he settled on one that he knew well- anger.

"Surprise? I guess?" Carefully he lifted the helmet over his head and dropped it to the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the handcuffs that were on Roman's wrists and tossed it to Niko's feet.

"You are a fucking monster! How could you work for that bitch!" Niko took a couple of steps forward shoving the buttstock of his rifle into his shoulder to make sure he would not lose his aim of the man who he held so much hatred for. He would end his life right here and now. For Florian, for his friends that never stood a chance, for himself. He would finally end it all.

Darko aimed his own pistol at Niko, "I could have simply killed Roman a moment ago. Or killed your girl earlier. Or at any moment during the last eight hours that we've kept them captive, I could have ended them."

"I don't fucking believe it. Is that really you Darko?" Roman spoke up from behind Niko. His eyesight wasn't the greatest in his current condition, but there was no mistaking the man who stood before them.

Slowly Darko lowered his pistol and relaxed slightly, "Yes. Natalya offered me the chance to get even with you Niko. But once I knew what she had done to your girl, I just couldn't stomach it any longer." He looked over his shoulder down the hall where the other men had dragged her away. "She is the reason I couldn't keep working toward my own revenge."

Niko took a couple more steps toward his old comrade and person who had betrayed them all, "I should kill you where you stand."

"And why didn't you when you had the chance? Finally understood how we are aren't so different?" Darko glared toward Niko knowing there was lots to hash out and fight over. They had history that ran the gauntlet of messed up affairs. 

"Niko be clam. If he was dead, then one or both of us might be dead right now." Roman placed his hand on Niko's shoulder to try and help steady the shaking he saw. He was having his own difficulty coming to terms that he had almost been shot. His cousin had come to his rescue like always and he worried about where Kate was at. They had fired off a gun to get their attention before knocking her unconscious and carried her from the room.

"Who do you think left you the note? Who do you think put the gunshot clotter in the officer in the basement? Who do you think interrupted the men here at this warehouse from coming in here and have a go at your girl? I did! Now lower your weapon." Darko tucked the pistol in his holster and let his features fall from the hatred he felt building inside, " _I saw the whole video. The unedited one. I am so sorry for what was done to her."_ He glanced down to his boots and forced the images from resurfacing in his mind.

" _Unedited? The one sent to me wasn't everything?"_ Niko let his rifle fall to his side as the wind was knocked from his lungs. He had feared that what he saw and knew was only a small portion of it. He had held out hope that he had gotten there in time and was able to save her, but maybe he had been too late.

" _Ivan was the one who recorded what you saw. Vova was the one who got the 'better' angle. They were not merciful. They were violent, ruthless, and evil. And it reminded me too much of the ones who gave us orders to slaughter everyone in that church in the small village. They were innocent and did not need to die. Yet we killed them all without hesitation. I couldn't stand to see the way Natalya laughed and cheered every time they would hit Kate. She needs to die."_ His eyes glazed over as the haunting images of their time in the war ran through his mind. They may have their differences, but they both had committed atrocities. And maybe it was time to start reconciling their guilt. 

"As much as I don't want to break up this reunion, er- second time reunion, I think we need to find Kate and get out of here." Roman leaned heavily into the wall to catch his breath and get his bearings. So much had clearly happened since he was knocked out at the church and woke up to the pissed off female from his cousin's apartment lobby. Things had gone wrong shortly after he insulted her taste in men. The next thing he knew he woke up next to Kate who was trying to clean up a cut on her cheek.

"They will have already loaded Kate onto the boat. She will make a break for it. I do not trust Natalya to not simply kill her once she realizes that Roman has been rescued." Darko nodded and picked up his helmet. He knew the overall plan and he had definitely messed up said plan by killing Tobias and setting Roman free to Niko.

"Where is she heading?" Niko moved over to his cousin to make sure he wasn't terribly wounded. He needed to make sure he would be able to walk or run and make it out alive. He would try to get word to Packie to get Roman out of the warehouse and to safety. Preferably to the hospital where Mallorie was. They needed to talk to one another and heal together.

" _I don't know. My guess is out to sea. She has a ton of drugs on board. Any number of buyers overseas will jump at the chance for good quality product."_ Darko watched the two cousins carefully. He knew he wouldn't be able to assist them in escaping if he was to keep his own cover going. He frowned at the thought.

"We must stop that boat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know I said it would be concluded with the second part, but there is just too much to cover and get through. The third part will be the exciting conclusion of the story and bring this story to a close. I’ve got a good section of part three written and ready to go, but it needs some finesse and help. Lol! Action scenes are not my strong suit. 
> 
> Also I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and a Happy Holiday!
> 
> I am shooting to have this done by Christmas, so here’s to hoping that my fingers don’t fall off with all the typing I’ve been doing. One Love!


	12. A Revenger's Tragedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N): This is your trigger warning for this chapter. This story is rated MA for a reason, and like the game, is rated for mature audiences.

Gerry's vision spun as the helicopter lost control. The warning blare of the alarm was ear piercing and he stumbled back away from the cockpit, grabbing the headrest of one of the chairs to keep from tumbling out of the aircraft. He knew the bird was going down and there would be no surviving the crash. He could barely make out Karen's frantic voice over the radio as she cried out for him to get out. ' _Get out? How?!'_

His eyes landed on the open side doors and he forced his body forward as the helicopter swung around erratically. The two pilots were screaming mayday over the radio and were desperately trying to take control of their decent. The roof of the church was rapidly getting closer and in an instant Gerry knew he would need to jump, or he would not live for very much longer. He glanced one last time over his shoulder to the pilot who was smashing the engine start button overhead. His stomach felt cold knowing that he would be the last person to have spoken to them before their demise.

The blades completely stopped rotating and he took one last gulp of air before throwing himself out the open door. The distance wasn't as high as it looked, and he smacked down onto the stone roof of the church, hands and knees first. The impact stung and he felt his arm give way under his weight. He attempted to roll away from the direction the helicopter was falling, but his whole body was screaming in pain. Gerry covered his head with his good arm as the blades scraped along the stones making a sickening sound.

Between one breath and the next the body of the aircraft slammed down into the roof, rupturing the fuel tank. The heat wave from the explosion seared into his skin and he grunted against the flash of the flames. The concussion blast slid him further away and he was thankful for the distance between the flames. Something heavy slammed into his back and everything went dark.

The first thing he noticed was the sounds of grinding rocks. He wearily opened his eyes to see he was still on the roof. ' _Must have passed out…'_

The pain radiated from his arm when he tried to use it to sit up. Gerry looked down to his arm and saw how swollen it was just above his wrist. Thankfully, it was his less dominate one, but the way it was feeling was worrisome. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to sit up. He needed to get moving and find a safe way off the roof, and to hopefully get back to helping Niko save his sister. He couldn't hear anything over the raging fire that engulfed the destroyed helicopter.

Gerry knew the second he sat up; his back was wounded. There was a damp sensation and a pulling from his left shoulder. "Damn this is going to be more difficult than I thought." He mused looking around for a fire escape or roof access door. He had only been in the church a couple of times over the years when his Ma would force them to go to service… Or Pa's funeral. All of his weddings had been held at a hotel ballroom or the courthouse. This was unknown territory for him.

"Just hang on sis, Gerry's coming." He slowly hauled himself up to his feet and almost fell back down. His body was severely at a disadvantage right now as everything hurt to the point of being sick. He had no weapon, no clear idea on where to go, and the longer he stood the worse his vision got. A red door caught his attention from the corner of his eye, "Guess it's a start."

Carefully Gerry hobbled over to the door and opened it to see a set of stairs that descended down into darkness. With shaky legs and arms, he made slow progress to the ground floor of the destroyed church. Smoke curled up the stairwell and he coughed against the burning in his lungs. Each step down sent a wave of agony up his legs and back. He would need to get medical help soon and he wasn't sure where to go to get it. He was a fugitive, supposedly dead at the prison, and would be immediately hauled back to jail if he just waltzed into a hospital lobby. Karen had said as much as they drove off to the church. He was to stay hidden.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs he had to take a second to breath and slow his raging heartbeat. His vision darkened slightly as he leaned into the cold stone wall, and he rubbed at his eyes to try and clear it. He could barely make out voices beyond the wooden door and he hoped it was some of Niko's friends he had been introduced to at the apartment complex. He didn't trust very many people, but the man he met who tried to rescue Karen was someone he felt he could trust. His brother was a wild card to him, and he was trying to get past old grudges he held on to.

"I need help! The boss is down here, and I can't get him out on my own." Someone yelled out and sounded closer to the door than the other shouting and screaming. Gerry used the wall to steady him as he made his way toward the door, hoping to hear more of the conversation, and maybe find a way out and to someone he knew could help him.

"On it boss. I got med team one on their way back. They just loaded the injured man into an ambulance." Another frantic sounding person shouted.

"Great! Hurry. I'll need a stretcher and an AED." The first person yelled back.

Gerry creaked the door open slightly the be able to see if he could escape out a side entrance or rear exit. He knew several underground doctors in the area that could patch him up enough to where he would be able to hold his own in a fight. And he would be right back in the fold afterwards. He needed to locate Karen to know what was going on. He would never admit it, but he was getting dependent on the woman who had helped him escape from certain death.

He couldn't see anyone in the immediate area and as silently as he could, he edged his way into the crumbling cathedral. Everything was a mess; fires were burning out of control, small pieces of glass and stone kept falling down from the destroyed upper floors and ceiling. He heard people approaching and he ducked back behind a large pillar to stay out of sight but leaned out from his hiding spot to see if he could identify any of the people in the area.

"I brought the climbing rigging. Wasn't sure how far down you are." A young man dressed in an LCPD uniform with EMT patches on his arms shouted down into a large hole in the floor.

"We will need the rigging to get the stretcher out. I can climb out on my own." Gerry thought he recognized the voice, having seen several different police officers come and go from his Ma's place when Francis would be around. He never paid them much attention, but now he wished he had. A friendly face or officer that knew is brother, and didn't hate him, would be a welcomed sight.

"Okay Alpha One. We are gonna slide down to your location." Several more NOOSE agents and LCPD EMT officers ran over to the hole and worked the ropes to be able to lower the stretcher down. They worked as a unit to secure the ropes and rigging equipment before a couple of them disappeared from Gerry's sight, followed by the stretcher. He noticed a few medical bags had been discarded to the side and he tried to think of a way to get over to them and maybe find something to help dull his pain.

Silently Gerry snuck around the pillar to get behind a pile of stone and twisted rebar. A dead body was halfway slouched over on the ruble and Gerry reached down to pick up the pistol that was laying across the person's lap. His back pulled painfully with the motion and he hissed out between his lips, "Fucking hell I'm not going to last much longer like this!"

"Did you hear that?!" One of the few men that stood watch exclaimed.

Gerry swore under his breath before moving away from his new spot, needing to put some distance between him and all the law enforcement he could see. He didn't need to get caught by them, and he didn't have a good enough excuse or reason to give them for being alive and out of prison. He maneuvered around more dead bodies and strewn out piles of stone, concrete, and metal.

"Hey! Start pulling on the ropes! He's got a weak pulse. We need to get moving." The voice was pulling at a few memories in Gerry's mind. He could swear he had met the person who was down in the crevasse.

"On it boss. Heave!"

Gerry shifted toward another vantage spot and watched as several officers pulled on the thick cords, their hands shaking against the weight of the object they were trying to remove from the collapsed ground. More policemen ran over to help, dropping their weapons and guards to take turns in yanking on the ropes. He held his breath as the top of a stretcher came into view. One by one the officers shifted their hold from the ropes to the sides of the stretcher. As the stretcher leveled out Gerry felt his stomach knot up tightly and his heart lurched in his chest.

He couldn't mistake the reddish brown hair, the Deputy Commissioner's uniform, and the slightly peaceful look on his brother's face. Francis laid perfectly still on top to the stretcher, and Gerry lost his grip on the pistol he had just picked up. His knees shook as he tried to stay upright. Each of the men who wheeled the stretcher away from the opening in the floor, removed their hats and helmets and bowed their heads.

The person who had the recognizable voice climbed up out of the hole and took the outstretched hand to be pulled up, "Get moving! He's not dead. Not yet. Call ahead and get an OR prepped. GSW to the throat and collarbone," He moved toward the stretcher and placed his hand down over the badge on Francis' chest, bowing his own head for a second. He glanced around at his men realizing that no one had moved, "NOW!"

Immediately they all jumped to attention and started calling out on their shoulder radios and took off toward the main entrance of the church, pulling the stretcher along with them. The man who had given the orders stayed put and took a few steadying breaths. His shoulders were slumped down, and he bent over slightly placing his hands on his knee pads. A stone fell off of one of the piles around them and he jumped at the noise, pulling his rifle up to attention, sweeping the area for enemies.

Gerry looked over to where he heard the stone dropping and saw a couple of men with guns drawn working their way toward the officer. ' _Must be the bad guys who attacked the church!'_ Gerry knew he wouldn't be able to handle hand to hand combat, but long distanced shooting he could do. He moved back the way he came in order to make sure none of the stray bullets would hit the officer who had pulled his brother from the collapsed floor.

The idiots opened fire before he could get set and he watched as the officer in NOOSE gear dove to the side to be protected and returned his own fire. The gunfire only lasted a few minutes before the opening presented itself and Gerry took aim. He wasn't as skilled of a shooter with a pistol from a distance, it had been a long time since he was in the heat of battle, but he managed to drop one of them from his hiding spot. The other enemy looked around alarmed before he was shot down by the officer.

" _Gerry_?!" The one who had helped Francis was staring his direction, and he pulled his face covering down and removed the helmet.

"Uh yeah?" ' _Crap. Busted.'_ Gerry leaned up from the pile of stone he was using as his cover and hobbled out into the open space. He would give this man a chance to prove him wrong, before either knocking him out or trying to flee. He would not be dragged out of the church in handcuffs, and he would not fail in protecting his family.

"I thought- the news! Does- did Francis know?!" He stumbled over his words and lowered his rifle to show Gerry he was not a threat and let out a silent sigh of relief when Gerry matched his movements.

"Yes and no. Look I don't have the time…?" Gerry waved his hand out toward the police officer wanting a name, hoping it would help him place where he remembered him from.

"Ron. Your brother's lead detective out of the Westminster Police Station. We've met once or twice over the years." Ron shifted on his feet and glanced back down the dark opening in the floor debating asking Gerry for help in going after Niko. There were too many unknowns and he would try to trust Gerry to do the right thing. Not much was said to him about the notorious leader of the Irish Mob, but Francis had been rather adamant that his brothers were harmless to an extent.

"Right. I need to get going. My sister is in danger." Gerry took a couple steps forward before his legs started to give on him and he leaned over into a pillar.

"I think you need medical help before that. I have a team-"

"NO! I will not be seen by people that want me back in prison. I have a _friend_ who can help. Just don't get any smart ideas." Gerry took a few heavy breaths trying to pull the strength up to be able to walk out of the building and find a car he could take over toward Alderney. There was an underground doctor located in a safehouse that tended to anyone who needed to be treated quietly and without fuss. The doctor didn't report anything and didn't follow any one mob, gang, or syndicate. He was neutral to everyone who needed it, for the right price of course.

"Gerry. I'm on your side. This can stay between us. But you don't look like you're in any shape to get out of here on your own. Let alone stay standing for much longer." Ron crossed his arms and had to fight the small smile from surfacing. Francis had the same stubborn streak to him, and it was amusing to see it personified in another member of the McReary's. As much as they were different, they were the same in more than one way.

"I'm fine." Gerry shoved off the pillar and started to head toward a side entrance he could see amongst the chaos. He would find a suitable car, get to the docs, get patched up, then get back to finding and helping Niko and his sister. A headache was forming behind his eyes and he felt weak, tired, and like he could sleep for a week straight. He glared toward the officer that moved into his path.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell Francis every single day- if help is offered, take it. You never know when that help will no longer be available. Here," Ron had moved in front of Gerry, cutting off his path toward the exit. He pulled the keys to his police cruiser out from a vest pocket and held them out for Gerry to take, "Go get help. Then find a way to call this number. I'll answer it, and if I don't, hang up." He pulled out his business card from his pants pocket and shoved the items into Gerry's hand when he continued to only stare at him skeptically.

"Why?" Gerry was thankful, but extremely wary about the generous help. People, especially the law, didn't just hand out help to known enemies. He was wanted for so many different crimes, and the last person he figured would be a helping hand, would be someone closely associated with his brother.

"So much shit is fucked right now. What's one more thing on top of all of this, right? I need to go help Niko. He ran off with barely any weapons and ammo. I swear I am an underpaid babysitter!" Ron took a couple of steps back from the normally violent and crazed man that had been sitting on the wanted list for years. "Just don't make me regret this. Putting you back behind bars would give me some serious street cred." Ron let out a halfhearted laugh and shook his head.

"Thanks. If you see a female IAA agent out there can you let her know I'm alive? Point her in my direction. It's complicated." Gerry tucked the business card into his pocket and turned the keys over in his hand. There was a key fob, and he would have to keep hitting the lock button in order to locate the car.

"Will do. Get going. I can hear the gun fire picking up from outside. The car is parked a few buildings down that way." Ron pointed away from where the blast ripped through the buildings. He readied his rifle and reloaded it quickly.

"And Ron?" Gerry sighed and felt the internal groan vibrate in his chest for what he was about to say, "Thanks for having my brother's back. Is he…?" He couldn't finish the sentence. He had only a few minutes to talk to Francis before all hell broke loose. He was still trying to figure out the larger picture and what was going on, and he felt so strained. Too many moving parts and people were dropping like flies. He was just settling into prison life before Jason was dropped off in his cell. Now he was playing catch up and getting nowhere fast.

"He was alive when I found him. Barely hanging on by the looks of it. Your sister was nowhere to be found." Ron picked up one of the climbing ropes and got into position to slide back down into the dark basement. He raised his face covering and shoved his helmet back on. His head snapped up as he could hear someone running their direction.

"Boss! I think Petrovic's men just showed up!" An out of breath NOOSE agent ran out from behind some of the destroyed church.

Ron looked to where Gerry had been standing moments before and did a double take. He was gone from his sight and he glanced around the area swiftly to make sure he wouldn't be spotted. He turned his attention back to the officer who had a rather panicked look to him, "Then I guess let's go greet them." He nodded once before descending down into the basement to check on Niko and his friend.

aaaaaa

"Hey doc, how is she doing today?" Johnny Klebitz leaned into the doorframe of a stately looking home in Westdyke, Alderney. He watched as a middle aged man wiped his hands on a dish cloth as he moved into the hallway from the kitchen.

"Ashley seems to be taking to the meds well enough. Addiction isn't easy to shake. You know this though." The man walked down the hall toward the leader of the recently destroyed The Lost Motorcycle Club. He was surprised to see him at his home and he silently gave Johnny a once over checking for injuries. He had been more than happy to help the young woman get off the cocaine and meth, and he definitely didn't mind the money that had been handed to him in a briefcase.

"Yeah well. I just figured I would check in. Been laying low lately with not a whole lot going on." Johnny shifted uncomfortably in front of the doctor. He had come to this place many times after fights to get patched up, only to wind up back in the living room needing something else stitched up. The Lost had been using this place for medical help for years, and it helped keep a low profile from the cops. ' _And feds…_ '

"Understandably. Sorry for your loss. Billy struggled with his own demons. May he rest in peace." The doc motioned toward the entrance to his living room. He had met and spoken to just about every kingpin in Liberty. He probably knew more information about the underbelly of the criminal world than law enforcement did. He had treated Kenny and his men many times, several different motorcycle clubs came to him for medical help, or just to get their hands on heavy pain killers, and he had the unfortunate run in with the Rascalov mafia. But no one dared threaten him or his under the table practice. He had lost his license years ago after a botched surgery and ensuing lawsuit shuttered his business.

"Sure. I got some time to kill." Johnny nodded to the man and moved into the living room of the quaint home. He plopped down into the armchair that faced the front door needing to keep his eyes open for anyone that might be coming for them. So many organizations wanted them gone. Congressman Stubbs had proven to be a rather loose end but had managed to keep his side of their relationship going and he had yet to hear from him since killing Billy.

"How are you doing? I got some water in the kettle to make some tea. Ashley had been complaining about a sore throat. Tea and honey will help. Don't want to give her anything too strong till I know the withdrawals are subsiding." He sat down on the couch and studied the man in his living room. He could tell he was struggling with something but wouldn't push unless the opening presented itself.

"Could be better. I think the gang wants a change of scenery. Hell. I need to get out of here." Johnny rubbed at his face and let out a tired huff. Things had gone to complete shit and he just wanted to get away from it all. Ashley swore she would get into rehab and get clean. The promise of her truly making a change had kept him from taking the next available flight out of LC. It was what brought him to the home in Westdyke. He was there to check on her progress and make sure she stuck to her word. ' _Not that it will remain true…It never has.'_

"I hear Blaine County is nice this time of year. No cold, no snow, only the sun and miles and miles of open roads. Sounds like the perfect place to just ride and lose yourself. I, myself, get tired of the claustrophobic feel of Alderney at times. I vacation every so often to see my relatives in Sandy Shores." The doc smiled at the thought of going to see his nieces and nephews.

"Sounds like my kind of place. Maybe start up a new chapter or something. Who knows? I'm just sick of this place. Too much bad blood and memories." Johnny nodded and looked up toward the ceiling when he heard a loud thump.

"She must be awake. She gets disoriented after waking. Would you like to come with me to check on her?" The doc checked his watch and noticed it was getting close to her next round of medicine, "Plus it's almost time to get the next IV bag going."

"Actually, you mind giving me a minute? I need to talk to her about something- privately. If that's cool?" Johnny stood up quickly and motioned for the doc to stay put. He wanted to see for himself if she was doing right by her word and getting clean. He would know what to look for and listen to if she was slipping up. He knew all her go to phrases, one which grated on his emotions.

"Sure. I'll be up in ten. Schedules are important when detoxing." The doc sent him a kind smile and was glad to know someone at least cared that she was in recovery. She would need the support in order to stay clean. He watched as Johnny shook his head slightly and headed for the stairs in the hallway. His heavy biker boots made loud thumps with each step on the stairs. He waited for the sounds of the door opening and closing before getting up to check on the teapot. His life was definitely not boring, and he quite enjoyed getting to meet so many different characters.

He moved into his kitchen and removed the now whistling pot from the stove top. He pulled a mug from a cabinet, before getting the honey and tea bags from the pantry. He went to work on making Ashley's tea, making sure the temperature wouldn't scald her throat, and would sooth the pain her throwing up had caused. He knew she would struggle for a few days before she either made it over the proverbial wall or fell back down into the drug use. He could make out hushed voices upstairs and figured they were talking about whatever Johnny had come here to discuss.

The sound of tires screeching and then a car door slammed outside on the street and he frowned at the noise. His neighborhood was usually quiet and peaceful so hearing something off confused him. He set the mug down on the marble counter and made his way back toward his front door. He typically left it unlocked as his 'office hours' were twenty four, seven. People knew to just walk in and ring the pager in the living room to get help if he wasn't downstairs to greet them. He rounded the corner into the front hall and decided to go investigate what was going on.

"You expecting anyone doc?" Johnny called down from the top of the stairs, automatic pistol drawn and at the ready.

"In my line of work, all the time, but never a hostile visitor." The doc walked into the front dining room and peeked through the blinds to see what all the commotion was. He could hear Johnny descend the steps to come stand by his side, using a different window to look outside. The street was quiet except for the still running LCPD squad car parked sloppily up on the sidewalk.

"What does LCPD want with you doc? It's a bit far out of their area to be making house calls." Johnny frowned seeing the cop car out front. Alderney police were supposed to have jurisdiction over the area, not Liberty City cops.

"It does seem a bit odd." The doc released the blind he had slightly pulled down to see out the window. He was used to the random encounters with so called criminals, but never once had a cop shown up on his doorstep. It would be a first, and hopefully not the last, patient he would get to work on. A light scraping sound started up from the back of the house and both men turned to look at one another in alarm before turning fully around to try and locate the noise.

"I thought you only have a front door policy. You get people who come in from the back door?" Johnny lifted the pistol and started to slowly edge his way toward the front hallway.

"Only those who wish to keep a low profile." A small amount of fear tripped down his spine at the thought of the only people who ever used the back entrance. Kenny, Dimitri, Billy, Jimmy, Ray, the occasional politician, nightclub owners, and his least favorite house call- Harvey Noto.

"Stay behind me. I don't need someone offin' you before Ash gets better." Johnny lightly pushed the doc back from the hallway, not wanting him to get killed by the intruder.

"You don't understand. This is a safe haven. For everyone." The doc somewhat shrank back once he heard the backdoor swing open and close rapidly. ' _Someone is seriously in a hurry. Maybe this is a break in. I do have lots of valuable medicine and equipment…'_

The two crept down the hall, Johnny taking the lead and keeping his pistol trained on the entrance to the kitchen. They reached the edge of the open archway and Johnny looked over his shoulder to signal to the doc to stay quiet. He would jump first and make sure it was clear before letting the doc into the kitchen. He took a fortifying breath before leaping out into the opening. "What the!?"

The doc moved quickly into the archway to see what had Johnny so spooked. Not many people shook the rough exterior of The Lost President, but whoever was standing in his kitchen had caused the color of Johnny's face to drain away. The doc watched as Johnny lowered his pistol and turned his attention to the round kitchen table that sat in the middle of his kitchen. He felt himself freeze in place, knees locking up, spine going rigid. He blinked his eyes rapidly trying to make sure who he was seeing was really there.

"Hey. I could use a stiff drink if you can spare it." Gerry winced as the pain was getting to the point of forcing him to black out, "And maybe you can see about fixing me up?" He slouched slightly into the round wooden table, leaving bloody hand prints behind. He couldn't figure out what hurt worse, the broken arm or the injury to his back, which he still wasn't sure what happened to cause it to bleed. He unceremoniously dropped his own pistol down to the surface of the table to show he wasn't there for anything of ill intent. The two men jumped at the noise the pistol made as it clattered out of Gerry's reach.

" _Gerry_?" The doc whispered shocked. He had seen the news. He had so many calls from people seeing if he were in his care, to which he told them he couldn't say even if he was. But here sat the notorious McReary member looking rather worse for wear. He shook himself out of his stupor and rushed forward to help the man out.

"I don't fucking believe it man." Johnny tucked the pistol back into the waistband of his jeans and leaned heavily into the archway, needing something to help keep him upright.

"Yeah, yeah. Been a long time." Gerry gladly took the offered help from the doc and had him partially drag him upright from the chair he was sitting in. They both stumbled under his weight and the doc looked slightly panicked toward Johnny.

"Can you help Johnny? I don't normally ask visitors to help a different patient but… this? This has to call for unmitigated circumstances." The doc tucked himself under Gerry's good arm and immediately felt how soaked the back of his shirt was with blood. Whatever had happened to him was serious and needed medical attention immediately.

"Uh. Right! Yeah. Okay." Johnny fumbled over his words before making the short distance to help haul Gerry back down the hall and into the living room to an examination table.

"Jesus Gerry! Here, sit on this stool. Your back needs tending to first." He knew with how soaked the shirt was that was going to be the pressing injury, the other ones could wait for the time being. He lowered him down to the stool he usually used and guided him to lean forward onto the edge of the examining table. The doc rushed around the room pulling boxes, bags, and different tools out of random drawers and cabinets. "How long has that been freely bleeding? I don't know how much extra blood I have available. The supply hasn't been easy to restock lately." He kept placing things down on the table before moving away to grab something else.

"Not sure." Gerry dropped his forehead down to the cushion of the table and closed his eyes. It had taken everything he had to make it to the car and drive over to the only place he knew would help him. His concept of time was extremely skewed, and he just wanted things to quit hurting. There was a burning pain that started from his shoulder and ran the length of his back and it was making him see stars. "The arm is broke too, I think."

"Well one thing at a time. Can't have you passing out on me. Hold still best you can." He snapped the medical gloves on and sat on a different stool behind Gerry and started to poke and prod around the large gash he could see. Something had ripped open the dress shirt and sliced into his skin. He reached toward the table and picked up a pair of scissors. Carefully he started to cut the cloth away to see just how extensive the wound was. "What in the world happened?!"

"I guess jumping from a crashing helicopter, smashing into the roof of a destroyed church will do that to ya." Gerry was losing the battle to stay awake, "Hey doc I'm about to pass out."

"Not yet you aren't. I need you awake for now. I'll knock you out once I know it's safe." The doc shoved up from his place behind Gerry to fumble around in a medical bag and pulled out some numbing medication, "You on any drugs? Anything to drink alcoholic?" It was risky to give it to him, but until he knew how bad the blood loss was, he couldn't risk him passing out and not waking up. Last thing he needed was the Irish mob after him for accidentally killing their leader.

"No. Was in prison this morning. Not exactly had time to get on the booze list." Gerry grunted and wiped at some of the sweat that was forming on his face.

"Right. We can talk about that later. I'll numb the area best I can before I stitch you up. But no sleeping on me. Not till I give you the all clear." He injected the numbing agent into a couple of places around the large gash and discarded the used syringe onto the surface of the examination table. Silently he went back to cleaning the wound on Gerry's back.

"Don't matter. I can take it." Gerry moaned as the doc pulled at the cloth of his shirt that had been stuck to his skin, "You got any problems with me? Or do I need to worry about the whole gang showing up to kill me in a few minutes?" Gerry glared over his shoulder to the man he figured to be the leader of the motorcycle gang of the leather jacket he wore. He didn't think he had any problems with The Lost. The Angels of Death, yes, but he couldn't remember if Packie had made any drastic moves since he was locked up.

"Uh no trouble from us. We cool." He avoided looking to the cold eyes of the Irish Mob leader and instead kept his focus to the large, bleeding wound on his back. It looked painful and he slightly shuddered thinking about what kind of pain he would be in with that kind of injury.

"Gentlemen, please. This is neutral ground. No fighting in my home. Or I will start refusing my services to both of your affiliations." The doc huffed as he removed the last couple of stuck pieces of shirt on Gerry's back.

"Johnny? Did you leave?" A feminine voice trembled slightly from outside the room, causing all three of the men in the room to go still and look toward the entrance to the living room.

"Nah. I'm still here Ash. You want some of the tea the doc was preparing?" Johnny hesitated for a second glancing to the doc to see if it was ready or not. The doc nodded once before forcing Gerry to turn back toward the table so he could start the tedious process of cleaning the wound before attempting to stich it up.

"Sounds good." The female started coughing harshly and Johnny left the room at the sound of her struggling to breathe.

Gerry could hear the coughing getting quieter and he figured they must have moved away from the living room. He was glad for the slight privacy he would have with the doc now. He was supposed to be dead, and now he had been seen by the leader of The Lost, several people he passed getting to the police cruiser, and now the doc who was tending to his back. This day was getting worse by the second and until he could move without feeling like passing out, he would seek the medical help from the underground doctor. "You got any other patients I need to worry about?"

"The female was upstairs in a guest room, drug rehab. Johnny is here visiting. They shouldn't be down any time soon now that she is awake and moving around." He scrunched up his face when he saw a piece of metal that was embedded into Gerry's back, "On second thought. I might need to knock you out."

"Why?" Gerry could hear the concern in the doc's voice and knew something had to be worse than what he was imagining.

"Well. If what you told me is true, part of the crashing helicopter is now lodged into your back. Thankfully not close to the spine. But it's not going to be pleasant to pull out." He wiped at some of the dried blood to get a better look at the impact site. It was a small piece of metal and had missed his spinal cord and didn't look deep enough to have punctured any organs. Or at least he hoped it wasn't worse than it looked. If it were deep, it could kill him once he removed it.

"Fuck. Yeah alright. You got a private room? Or a way to keep me from being seen?" Gerry took in a shallow breath not liking the idea of being put under. He trusted the doc with many different injuries, but this one may have been better left to an operating room at a hospital.

"I can put up a privacy wall. I'll set your arm too when you're out." He had noticed the swelling and knew that was another injury that would be better dealt with while someone couldn't fight back against the pain.

"You're the best." Gerry said sarcastically. He was growing more concerned by the second and didn't like leaving the church behind without seeing Kate or Niko. He would just have to hope that Niko was capable and would keep her safe.

"That's why they pay me the big bucks to work from home." The doc deadpanned back and stood up once more to get the necessary cocktail of meds ready to knock Gerry out in order to get the metal out of his back and set his broken arm. It was going to be a long drawn out process, but he was confident he would be able to fix up one of his closest patients. The McReary's were a joy to be around and he would make sure Gerry got the best care he could give.

aaaaaa

Bernard let his agent roll him into his office at IAA headquarters. He was furious that Niko had just run off without them. He was meant to help, and he was slightly miffed that Niko thought so little of him that he decided to head out on his own. Ron, Little Jacob, and Badman had followed him to the office building and were now pacing around in his office. They had all been shocked to see Niko missing from the hospital room. Now it seems they were going to be conducting their own rescue mission, instead of going into battle alongside Niko.

"Alright let me check in with what we have, and Ron?" He watched as the stressed out police officer nod to his correct name, "Get the commissioner on the phone. We will need the joint forces working together on this. With Francis out of commission, you will take point." He picked up his desk phone and hit the operator button to get patched through to the command center. He figured that someone had at least started to collect data and it would be where he started. He jiggled the mouse on the desk to get his computer monitor awake.

Ron moved to the far side of the office and pulled out his cell phone to call his new boss. He slowly lowered down onto the small couch and dropped his head into his hand as he waited for the call connect to Mitt Fitzsimmons. They had spoken briefly at the graveyard after he made sure Niko was loaded into an ambulance. He had left Gerry out of his report to the Police Commissioner. He was instructed to get the list of his team together and send it to the command post. It was confusing and that was when he found out some of his unit had betrayed them and kidnapped Roman. It was distressing to say the least.

"Command said they have their data pooled on the intranet site. I'll see what they have. Do either of you know of local hideouts of Dimitri's?" Bernard glanced up from his computer monitor to regard the other two men in the room.

"There was a warehouse off of Mohanet in Downtown Broker that Dimitri used to betray Niko." Little Jacob offered when the silence carried on too long. He didn't usually associate with the Russian mafia of Dimitri. He had ties to Kenny and that was as much involvement as he wanted with those syndicates.

"It's a start." Bernard shifted his focus to the computer to see what all had been searched with their helicopters, and what FIB reported. He had been out of the loop too long and it was daunting to think of everything he would need to review in order to be caught up. He silently prayed that his agents had discovered some kind of clue- traffic camera images, heat imaging, possible call ins to the tip line- anything to go off of. He could only imagine how terrified the people were in the city. They had all watched on the news the destruction of Emerald Street.

Ron lowered his cell phone as an idea came to him, "Did Niko take his cell phone with him? We can see if we can trace it." It would be a better start then going down a list of known and unknown hangouts of the numerous criminals in Liberty City. He listened to his boss as he talked to someone else on the other side of the call. Things were so bleak. No one knew where to report or call in to for help. Mitt was overwhelmed with people trying to get ahold of him and it made it all the more obvious how important Francis was on the chain of command.

"Good idea." Bernard typed away on his keyboard and pulled out his own cell phone to locate Niko's number. He entered it into the search bar and waited with bated breath till the negative beep deflated him. It showed to be inactive and unavailable for gps tracking. "It's either turned off or destroyed. I can't locate it with our software." He frowned at how things were turning up. He knew Niko wasn't at one hundred percent, and knowing how he must feel, desperate, would be willing to get himself killed if it meant Kate and Roman lived.

"Let me try Kate's number, as well as Roman's. Maybe we will get lucky there." He sighed heavily and typed in their numbers into the tracking software. Again, the negative beep sounded when the cell phones didn't ping back to a cell tower. He scrubbed a hand through his short hair and shook his head when Jacob and Badman looked to him for confirmation. ' _This can't possibly get any worse…'_

Ron jumped to his feet, his eyes wide, as if he had an epiphany. "The distress signal! It wasn't on Francis when we found him. It must be on Kate. I completely forgot!" He hung up his call and moved over to the computer, leaning over to type out an address on the internet home page. He pulled up the home page for LCPD and used his login to get to the gps tacking page, "So long as it hasn't been deactivated or destroyed, we should be able to locate it." He pulled up the map of Liberty and watched as the computer kept trying to ping the device.

"What is the range for it?" Bernard leaned back into the wheelchair as Ron took over at the computer.

"The entire state, about ten miles away from shore, and one or two basement levels before the signal won't reach." He tapped out a rhythm on the desk surface as the computer kept trying to pinpoint a location. It would jump to the lower region of Algonquin where Suffolk is, before going back to the standard zoomed out image of the state. He shoved off the desk to stand upright and removed the tablet from his vest pocket. If the computer was going to take too long, then maybe the tablet would find it faster.

"What about a jammer? Would it still work then?" Bernard mused trying to think of why the signal would be missing. He didn't think anyone would be looking for a tracking device on Kate. But he had underestimated the level of hatred Natalya carried. She had blown up an entire city block to get even over the death of her lover and cousin. At this point anything was possible.

"Depends. The jammer would have to be a fairly high tech one. I'm sure something you guys have will block it. But the everyday ones you can buy off of the street venders- no. We tested them for the commercial jammers. Government and military ones are a little more sophisticated and can jam the distress signal. I don't know why it's having a hard time. I can see what the history is. Maybe it'll narrow our search area." Ron leaned back down to the computer and clicked on the history log and forced the software to map it out.

"Looks like the last signal was sent from the intersection of Asahara Road and Roebuck Road. It loses the signal south of Asahara. That's Normandy or Port Tudor, right?" Ron glanced over his shoulder to look at the high ranking IAA officer. Their window was now a lot smaller than it was. He could probably ask the Commissioner of the Alderney police force to get their units to start door to door checks.

"And unfortunately, full of abandoned warehouses, ports, docks, and factories." Bernard watched the computer screen as it drew out a route from the church in Suffolk all the way over to the Booth Tunnel and into the state of Alderney before disappearing off the map once it crossed over into the municipality of Normandy. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number to the IAA helicopter dispatch. It rang a couple of times before a somber sounding female answered him.

"Where is our heat scanning bird currently?" He pulled up the dispatch site on the computer and zoomed in on the area in Alderney that they had identified. He placed the phone down on the desk and clicked on the speakerphone.

"Current position is over Tudor, Alderney. Requesting new positioning boss?" The female voice sounded somewhat hopeful at being contacted by their regional leader.

"Port Tudor and Normandy. Focus on the ports and warehouses. I have a feeling about something." Bernard glanced up as Little Jacob and Badman moved to lean against the desk in front of him. They were all anxious to figure out where Niko had gone off too, and where Kate and Roman were being held captive.

"On it boss. You have our live feed up? Or should I give play by play?"

"I got the computer up. Stay on the line. I may have you radio the other choppers in the area to start searching the West River for boats." Bernard clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on the edge of his desk. He tiredly leaned into his fists and waited as the thermal scanning feed moved around on the computer monitor.

"FIB has the waters on lock sir." There was a hesitation in the voice and Ron rolled his eyes at it. ' _Of course, FIB took the easier job…'_

"You and I both know that's just the opening these people need to get out to sea. Go ahead and move another bird to the area. Maybe they will see something with the search light." Bernard shook his head and watched as Ron's hands tightened into fists on the desk. They were all on edge and needed some good news soon or they were all going to snap.

"Thermal scanning is now in Port Tudor airspace." The female announced over the phone. Little Jacob and Badman moved around the desk to be able to see the images on the screen.

"What is that?" Bernard whispered as a huge yellow glow overtook the screen, "Focus on that large amount of heat. What is it?" He leaned forward to see if he could identify any of the buildings on the screen.

"Not sure boss, overlaying the map now. My guess is some kind of metal factory. They generate a lot of heat to melt down steel." The female sounded slightly distant from the phone and they could hear several clicks of a keyboard as the image changed to display a generic map over the thermal camera images.

"Look! Is that a person?" Ron pointed to a smaller yellow and red blip on the screen. It was just west of the larger heat signature. Every so often something would trigger the heat signature to flare quickly before going back to just the shape of a prone looking body.

"Sniper. Has to be." Bernard couldn't believe his eyes. Either Niko was using a nearby building to take out the enemies or someone was trying to take out Niko. "Get the other helicopters over there now. And send in the ground teams. That has to be it. I'll radio in once I'm airborne." Bernard locked the computer and rolled back from the desk, ending the call before his agent could protest his requests.

"Uhhh… Airborne?" Little Jacob asked not sure what he was getting at. He was in no condition to drive or fight, and he was going to do what exactly?

"Chopper on the roof. Let's go." He wheeled over to a filing cabinet and jerked one of the drawers open. He removed a couple of pistols and placed them down in his lap, "Unless you would rather drive over there?" He gave them a hard look. He would fly the chopper and use its weapons if need be. But he would not be sidelined any longer. If he could help in any capacity, he would do it.

"I can copilot. I've been working toward my pilot license. I'm a few lessons away." Ron put the tablet back into the pocket on the vest and moved to be able to push the wheelchair for the IAA agent he was starting to like and trust. He was starting to get that itch before any job, and he was ready to scratch at it. He had seen more action in the past couple of days than he had in his entire career with the LCPD. And maybe when the dust settled, he could have a conversation with the man in the wheelchair about joining the IAA.

"Great. I just hope we aren't too late to the party." Together the group filed out of Bernard's office and headed to the elevator to get to the roof, and once more head into battle.

aaaaaa

"This has to be the stupidest idea you have ever thought of. She would know it was you and not me. I don't always wear the helmet." Darko paced back and forth in front of Niko and Roman holding his helmet in one of his hands. He knew every second they spent arguing and going back and forth meant Natalya would be leaving on the yacht. It was always her backup plan- if it went to shit, they would escape on the boat and get to safety before trying to come up with a new plan. She had told him to kill both Roman and Kate if she was unable to capture Niko. But she would want Niko to suffer in whatever way she could inflict the pain.

"Fuck you. You have no reason to keep standing here. Shouldn't you be off trying to get your hands on whatever shit you are hooked on." Niko knelt down in front of his cousin to pick up the handcuff key, and kept the rifle tucked close to his body within reach in case he needed to use it. He was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than the constant ' _kill him'_ being repeated over and over in his mind. Florian wanted him dead for the ambush they had survived. And with the way he was teetering on the edge, it wouldn't take much to simply fulfill his comrades wish.

"Oh yes. Please do keep going with the low blows. Your girl know how many you've killed? How much money you've built up for being a hired hitman?" Darko took a step forward as his own anger boiled over, " _Or were you just going to use her for your own desires till you get bored?_ "

Niko didn't hesitate to charge at him. He lunged at Darko and tackled him to the ground and tried to land a few hits to his face. Darko deflected the strikes, letting go of his helmet, and rolled them to the side, roughly kicking Niko away from him. They both went for their knives- Niko pulling one of his boot knives free, and Darko jerking the kbar free from its place on his vest. Niko adjusted his hold on the handle before slashing out at Darko's arm that was close to him.

Darko went on the defensive and kept redirecting Niko's slashes and kicks. He was rested, uninjured, and had a pent up rage driving him. He knew he could easily disarm Niko and put an end to their scuffle, but a small part of him wanted to show his old comrade that he wasn't some lame junkie. He was in the same unit as him and could hold his own. He hadn't spent all his years in exile doing drugs, he had to find work to supply his habit. And contract killing came natural to him.

Niko threw the knife at Darko when he realized that he was being toyed with. There were no counter strikes from Darko, and it agitated him even more. The knife embedded into the wall next to Darko's face who had shifted away at the last second. " _What's it to you? You have no business being part of my life. Florian wants you dead. And after what happened today, I am more than inclined to give him his last wish."_ He jumped to the side when Darko finally went on the offensive. He watched as he went for his pistol and drew his own. They each pressed the ends of the barrels to each other's chests and stilled in their movements.

" _We have a bigger enemy out there than each other."_ Darko slowed his breathing down and lessened the pressure of his pistol. He was not there to settle their differences. Not yet anyway. He needed to get free from Natalya's grasp first. Then he could seek Niko out and battle it out to the bitter end.

"Niko. Calm yourself. Kate needs us to focus and get her back. She looked really hurt when I last saw her. They also knocked her out with the end of a pistol before taking her out of the room." Roman had picked up the key to the handcuffs and had managed to remove them. He may not have that strong of a stomach or bladder, but he needed to find the strength for his cousin. They had exchanged such harsh words before Bernie had been shot. His eyes slightly watered at the memory and he looked down to his hands where he could see red lines from where the cuffs has started to dig into his skin.

" _Were you the one that hit her?"_ Niko's accent thickened with his rage and he bore his eyes into Darko's. He would end him where he stood if he were the one to have struck her. He would make sure every single person who had harmed her would meet their end by his hands. She had been through too much because of who was after him and it would all be over once he could kill Natalya.

"No, that would be him." Darko pushed away from Niko and held his hands up, pointing to one of the dead bodies on the floor with his pistol. He wasn't sure how many more times he would need to tell Niko before he could get his message across. He had not harmed Kate, scared her pretty good probably, but he wasn't about to mention it to him. Not with the death stare he was getting. The fire and fight she had given him was rather amusing and he chuckled as he remembered her trying to choke him out. "She's a feisty redhead. Has to be what got your attention." He leaned back into the wall, tucking the pistol back into the holster, and let his smirk widen when Roman chuckled from his spot behind Niko. He jerked Niko's knife free from the wall and twirled it around in his fingers.

"Among other things. Drop it. I'm still trying to find a reason to keep you alive." Niko tucked his pistol back into one of the shoulder holsters and held his hand out for his boot knife. He felt so many jumbled emotions at once. He just needed to get Roman out of the factory and get Kate back from Natalya. Then he could start to process everything. Including finding Darko again and what to make of him still living. He was usually more levelheaded going into missions and being so off center was making it hard on him to focus.

Darko's eyes widened significantly and he stopped twirling the blade and flipped it once before chucking it toward Niko. Niko leaned back toward the opposite wall as the blade came at him, turning in time to see what his target really was. The blade embedded into the chest of someone who was trying to sneak up on them. He held a compact submachine gun that was aimed directly at the back of where his head had been. The gun went off as the person fell backwards to the ground. All three of them ducked down as the bullets fired around randomly, striking the walls, floor, and ceiling of the hall they were standing in. The clicking greeted Niko's ears as the person kept trying to fire the gun as it was drained of bullets.

Darko was the first to move from his crouched position and he stalked over to the person to make sure they were dead. He fired a couple of rounds from his pistol into the head before lowering down to grab the knife, "There is no way someone else hasn't heard that. That is one of Natalya's personal bodyguards. He must have been sent to see what the holdup is. We need to move now." Darko stood up and moved to stand in front of Niko. He grabbed one of his hands and shoved the handle of the bloodied knife into his palm. He twisted Niko's hand and arm and patted where he knew the tattoo was, "I may not have forgiven, but I have not forgotten."

" _The oath of brotherhood above all else_. We will settle this later." Niko glanced down to the junction of Darko's arm and stared at the slightly faded ink of the boxy lettering. They would fight one another some other time and settle things once and for all. He felt some of his agitation quiet with the words from Darko. Darko would honor the original agreement they had all made as teenagers. It would be a start to building a mutual understating. He wouldn't go as far as to say that he _trusted_ him, but he would give him the benefit of the doubt. But Darko had a point. They had wasted too much time. "Roman can you run? I need to get you out of here. I have Packie waiting outside. He can get you to Mallorie."

"I think so. But cousin. I don't want you to do this alone. Let me help." Roman used the wall to stand up and tried to still his shaking. He figured he would be used to gunfire by now, but every time he heard it, he would get scared. He had a wife to protect and he forced his fear down. He would be strong for her and be helpful to his cousin in this crazy battle that was going on. "There's nowhere left for these guys to go. The whole city wants them dead now."

"Roman has a point. She will be desperate. Kate will not last long if she takes off on that boat." Darko motioned down the hall. He had a plan forming in his mind and he hoped Niko would go along with it. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to pull it off, but it would destroy whatever truce they had building between them.

"I need to get on that boat." Niko glanced one last time at the person Darko had killed and felt weird knowing he had been saved by the one person who had sold his unit out. He helped steady Roman on his feet and started to guide him to follow after Darko. He didn't want to trust the man. He wanted to put a bullet in the back of his head, but he needed to be rational in this moment. Kate needed him, and he needed to hold her in his arms again.

"I will get on the boat. You will follow along the shoreline to the more public docks, grab a boat and then I will make sure you can get on without being seen. Natalya doesn't know that I have betrayed her." Darko slowed as he got to a corner and used the security mirrors to check for people down the other hall. ' _Here goes nothing. I'm sorry Niko. But this has to be the way it goes…'_

"Isn't that a shock. You just go around betraying everyone then?" Niko scoffed and leaned into the wall when Darko paused in his walking. Roman was following along silently behind them, being sure to keep a light hold on Niko's jacket.

"Shut up. I could simply be leading you into another trap. Get what I want out of all this trouble. You would be killed. I'd get my share of the money and drugs. And who knows? Maybe I would hunt down Florian and finish him off. Be done with the entire unit!" Darko rounded on Niko and shoved him back into the wall, fisting his hands into the jacket he wore. He recognized the symbol that graced the chest and felt his own pang of guilt flood his system. But he could do this. Had to do this. ' _There is no other way'_

"You leave Florian out of this!" Fury burned brightly in his veins and he shoved Darko off of him and into the next hall. Not caring if someone opened fired on them. He followed after him and pulled one of his pistols out. He didn't care about the somewhat agreed upon plan anymore. He just wanted to get rid of the person who he held so much hate toward. He would do this his own way from now on.

"I always wondered why you two always took night guard together. Laughing it up and leaving us open for attack. So many times did I slip out of the camp. Was a total shock to find out you were with a female here in this blasted country!" Darko laughed darkly and dodged the punch that was thrown his way. He would keep egging him on and hopefully not blow their cover. He needed to make sure Natalya thought he was still on her side. Niko was beyond easy to bait. He just hoped it worked out in the end, and the damage wouldn't be irreversible.

"Guys stop it!" Roman harshly whispered as he tried to keep up with how quickly they moved down the hall, continuously trying to hit the other. The strikes were more violent in nature and he could tell they weren't holding back. He had never seen Niko let his inner rage out and it sent a tremor down his spine. He looked so cold, so uncaring. He glanced back down the hall the way they came to make sure no one was trying to follow them. He didn't like the feeling that washed over him, and he needed to get the two of them to focus on getting out of there.

" _Go fuck yourself. There is no telling what kind of fucked up shit you did to get your hands on the drugs you cared for."_ Niko dodged to the side as Darko tried to kick at his injured leg. His body was weaking by the second the longer he kept fighting. It was close quarters fighting and took most of his focus to keep Darko from hitting any of the numerous injuries he had. One good strike and he wouldn't be able to stay on his feet. Darko wasn't pulling his punches either and he was starting to wonder if he would have to kill him in order to stop the fighting.

" _Wasn't as fucked up as what those fuckers did to your girl. You sure do know how to piss off the wrong person all the time."_ Darko caught Niko's fist and jerked their bodies around and slammed him back into the wall hard enough to get the air to leave Niko's lungs. " _Tell me. If you had to choose between Roman and her, who would it be? Do you love her more than your own blood?"_ He kept a firm hold on Niko to keep him from lashing out and getting the upper hand. He glanced up at the mirror above them and saw they had made it to where the exit door was that led down to the main factory floor. The heat was considerably hotter by the door and he could feel sweat starting to form along his back.

He leaned closer to Niko's ear and lowered his voice, " _You once asked me to kill the people who raped and murdered your aunt. I have not forgotten what that meant to you. What it meant to me."_ Darko used their closeness to slip something into Niko's jacket pocket. It was now or never, and he shoved every bit of wishful thinking to the side. He had carried out Niko's drunken begging to have the men killed that had gone after Roman's mother. He wasn't sure if Niko remembered the ranting, the tears, and the agony they all felt when they returned home for an assignment to find the village ransacked. But he would uphold the same promise to him, but this time, for Kate's sake.

Niko's eyes widened significantly and felt the sheer guilt soak through him over the death of Roman's mother. His own had managed to escape before the attack, but Roman's mother wasn't as fortunate. He hadn't gotten that black out drunk since, and even refrained from drinking for several years. Part of him died that day. Darko and Florian had been there to get him back out of the darkness. But once they all returned to their posts, Niko had shoved friendship, kindness, and emotions away. He wanted no part of being happy. Then Darko went and betrayed them all and he completely shut himself off from the world.

"You don't have to say anything to let me know how much she means to you." Darko released Niko and took a step back, "I will make sure to get Kate to you. If you step foot on that boat before me, she is as good as dead." He watched as Roman moved to Niko's side and gripped his arm tightly. He drew his pistol and checked the magazine for bullet count. He would have enough for the few guards that would be on the boat, and he would be able to get more once on board. He reloaded the gun and hardened his features toward Niko. "Don't hold back now." He took aim at Niko and watched as the color drained from Roman's face.

"What are you-?" Roman started before Darko fired once before stumbling back toward the exit door.

The bullet crashed into the wall just above Niko's head and snapped him from his daze. He drew both of his pistols and fired at Darko making sure to hit the bullet proof vest. Darko shoved open the door with his back and tumbled down onto the metal landing of the staircase. Niko gave chase and tried to conserve ammo by only firing when it was necessary. The factory floor was bustling with different gun battles raging around them. The heat was intense, and it caused his face to flush.

Darko rolled over and took off down the metal stairs, ducking slightly as other people took notice of them in the room. Niko lowered down to be able to keep from being shot at and watched as his ex-comrade ran over to the boat ramp and ascended it quickly. He moved back into the hallway and grabbed Roman's arm, "Come on. We got to move now."

aaaaaa

Kate stirred on the comfy surface she was resting on. Her tired mind began to work overtime to try and piece together what had taken place in order to need to wake up. ' _Getting real tired of waking up in strange places…'_ Her eyes fluttered open to the dimly lit room, her foggy mind taking a minute to process what she was seeing. She was on her back and as her eyes adjusted to the faint light, she realized she was staring at a large mirror that was hung on the ceiling in the room she was in. Her reflection greeted her, and she had to squint in order to recognize herself. There was dried blood along her hairline and must have been the injury that Francis had wanted to check out. Her bruised cheek now sported a large cut from where she had been backhanded by Rebecca.

She turned her head to the side to take in her surroundings no longer wanting to look at her appearance. It was bringing up flashbacks of getting to Niko's place and having the breakdown in his bathroom. The men were dead that had harmed her, and she didn't need to worry about them coming for her again. A lone tear trekked down over the bridge of her nose and she swiped at it angrily. The room shook and jerked slightly, and she scrambled around on the bed to get into a seated position, hissing in pain when her shoulder throbbed menacingly in warning. The sound of an engine roared to life and it hit her- she was on a boat. There was a faint sound of guns being fired and she glanced to the large windows that lined one of the walls.

Carefully she crawled off the bed, thankful for not being handcuffed for once, and moved to look out one of the windows to figure out where she was at now. The carpet was soft and plush beneath her bare feet and she flexed her toes into the fabric enjoying the feel of something comforting. She hugged her body as she watched people fighting in some kind of factory. She couldn't see anyone in uniform and figured this was some kind of gang war. A door flung open on the second floor and she watched as someone tumbled out onto the landing.

She recognized the white shirt and black vest on the man who had been kind to her. Then Niko entered into her line of sight and her heart began to pound. He was wearing different clothes then that of the suit he had on and he looked to be heavily armed. He fired once more toward the man who had helped her with her cheek wound. She grabbed at her dress over her heart, clutching the four leaf clover pendant, and felt it stutter at the thought of Niko killing the man who had never tried to harm her. She watched as Niko ducked behind some metal barrels and the man ran toward her location disappearing once he got close enough to the boat.

"Come on Niko. I'm right here." She whispered out trying to fight back the tears that wanted to fall. Niko ducked back into the open door and left her line of sight. The boat jerked backward again, and she realized they were moving away from the factory. Panic gripped her soul as she realized she was being taken away from him. She spun around to face the room and started to look for a way out. ‘ _There is no way I’m staying here when Niko is close by!’_

She crossed the room and peaked into one of the doors and saw an en suite bathroom. Sliding the door into the pocket of the wall, she moved into the space, hoping to be able to find something to defend herself with or maybe a window that could be opened. The tiled floor wasn't as cold as she was expecting, and she made quick work of checking the cabinets and drawers. Most of them were empty, or simply had spare towels, toilet paper, and soap. "What no razors? Hairspray? Anything?" She sighed at the lack of items in the bathroom and decided the rest of the bedroom needed to be looked at.

As she headed back toward the bathroom door, she could hear screaming in a foreign language. She closed the bathroom door quickly and turned in a full circle, eyes darting around, looking for a place to hide. The closet door was the only other place and she rushed toward it and got inside before the bedroom door slammed open.

" _Where the fuck is she? Huh?! I told you to lock her in a room and here it is unlocked and there is no body on the bed!"_ Kate recognized the feminine voice of Rebecca and quietly moved to the back of the closet, slumping down behind a couple of large suitcases. She tucked her body into itself and tried to be as small and as hidden as she could get.

" _You said throw her in a room and then get the engines going! Most of our men are out there fighting to keep us safe. I can either navigate this ship out of the dock or I can play babysitter. I can't do both!"_ There was a loud slap that echoed in the room and caused Kate to jump slightly. She clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle any sounds that might escape her.

"Search this whole damn ship! The lot of you! And YOU get this boat out to sea. Niko managed to kill Tobias and thankfully Roman was killed in the crossfire. One less person to kill off now. I want her brought to me. I will be the one to slowly bleed her dry. Get going. All of you!" Natalya screeched as her anger flared to life uncontrollably. People shuffled out of the room quickly. Kate let out a silent sigh and felt the tears start to spill over her cheeks hearing about Roman's death. ' _Poor Mal… Oh you poor thing. I will help you in whatever way I can.'_

"Congratulations, you've been promoted to Tobias' old position. You have been a better asset than I was assuming you'd be. Find the bitch and maybe I'll let you have a go at her before having my fun. I'll be in the main living room off the deck. Someone has to make sure this ship is secured." She huffed loudly and stomped out of the room; the door closed a moment later softly.

Kate started to count to a minute in her head. She knew staying in one spot wouldn't keep her safe for much longer. They were going to be searching the ship for her and she needed to get out of there quickly. Somehow get a signal out to Niko to let him know where she was and that she needed help. Once she hit two minutes in her counting, she crawled out of her hiding spot. The door was soundless as she opened it to the bathroom. She checked the space for people before quietly moving out into the dark and now chilly bathroom.

She strained her ears to try and pick up any sounds from the bedroom and couldn't hear anything over the hum of the engines and the faint sounds of gunfire from outside the ship. "Okay. Maybe the bedroom will have something I can use as a weapon. Find something quickly, then get off the ship. No big deal." She whispered to herself as a small pep talk. She was in the enemy stronghold now and she would dig deep to stay brave. She would do what she could on her end to get off the ship and make it easier on Niko to find her.

Her hands trembled as she reached for the circular door handle. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to steady her body. She had played hide and seek as a kid and always managed to never be found. She could sneak around a ship full of armed men and not get caught. Right? She scoffed at the ridiculous thoughts and edged the door open to the bedroom. The lights were still off, and everything looked like it did when she woke up. She looked both ways in the small opening she made, before opening the door all the way.

Large hands grabbed at her, one over her mouth to force the scream back down her throat and the other clamped tightly around her throat. The person shoved her back into the bathroom, forcing her to back up into the thick glass shower wall. The air rushed out of her lungs from the impact and she shot her frightened eyes up to the sneering man before her. "Well, looky here. I guess we get to have some alone time before I drag you off to face your fate." He knocked her back against the shower wall roughly, tightening his hold on her.

Her hands grabbed at the wrist of the hand that was wrapped around her throat and she dug her nails into the soft flesh. He let out a surprised yelp and jerked his hand free from her. She kneed him between the legs with all the force she could muster and used his distraction to get out from his grasp. She took off toward the bedroom, gasping for air, hoping to make the hall before he recovered. Something grabbed hold of her ankle and jerked her leg out from under her. She collapsed to the plush carpet, wheezing with the force of her fall, and twisted around to be able to use her free leg to kick the ugly man's face.

He caught her foot easily and used her as leverage to pull himself up and yanked her legs toward him, causing her dress to hike up around her hips. The carpet burned against her bare skin as she was jostled around. She renewed her attempts at getting free from him and thrashed about trying to break his hold. He pushed her legs open and started to climb on top of her, gaining the upper hand, "So you like it rough, do you?"

A black boot connected with the side of his head and he tumbled off of her to the opposite side. She watched as the man in the black combat pants and faded white long sleeved shirt kicked the person in the face again, forcing his body to roll over to his back. He dropped down on top of the man who was attacking her and jabbed a knife into his chest. She snapped her vision away from the sight of the knife and violent nature of how the man kept stabbing the other person. The sound was enough to let her know how he was going to die, and she felt bile rise up her throat.

She shakily rolled over to her stomach and gagged briefly before trying to crawl away from the two people in the room. She was feeling dizzy with how the man who saved her so coldly kept stabbing the body. He was like a machine, there was no emotion, or words coming from him. She felt something wet splatter on her ankle and she jerked her legs up toward her, getting away from the carnage taking place. She reached the edge of the bed and slowly turned to sit against the footboard. She watched as the man slashed one final time across the throat and she inventorially recoiled in disgust at the sound it made.

She tucked her legs up to her chest and buried her face into her knees. If that was what the person was capable of doing, then she would never try to attack him again. She had clearly misjudged his capability and vileness. She listened to his slightly labored breathing as he moved off the now still body of the man who had attacked her. The boots shuffled over the carpet toward the tiled floor of the bathroom and left her line of sight.

The fight had been sucked right out of her when the man had tried to climb on top of her. She didn't have the strength to move from her huddled position at the foot of the bed. It was like being stuck on her bed before Niko had pulled her to him. Everything was slightly shaking, and she couldn't tell if it was just her or if was a combination of her and the boat pulling away from the factory dock. She tightened her hold of her legs and let the despair weigh down on her shoulders. She wouldn't be able to get off the boat now and most definitely wouldn't be able to reach Niko- not now that the other man had entered the bedroom and would be keeping her hostage. The scowl spread on her face at once again failing to protect herself.

Darko rung out the washcloth in the bathroom sink and finished wiping the blood from his face and hands. He almost didn't head back to his room on the ship once Natalya had given the order to search the ship. He had sworn severely at his luck. He should've known she would make a break for it, and he only hoped he would be able to locate her before one of the other idiots did. He had noticed one of the other men lurking around his bedroom door and ducked into a nearby room to keep an eye on him. He heard his bedroom door open again and somehow; he knew something wasn't right. His heart had almost stopped once he saw the man climbing on top of Kate.

He glared at his reflection and couldn't decide who he was anymore. Nothing in his life held meaning to him and it was just one thing after another between days of being high out of his mind. Whatever stuff Natalya had given him had cleared the fog in his brain long enough to see glimmers of hope. Now he was stuck in some kind of revenge mission against one of his old comrades. It seemed like everything came back to Niko and his unit. He wiped once more across his chin making sure there wasn't any blood left before deciding he needed to get them moving.

He saw her crumbled position against the foot of his bed and felt an emotion he couldn't identify tug in his chest. He approached her slowly as to not alarm her and sank down next to her, blocking her view of the bedroom door. He would place himself between whoever might come looking for him and her. He had given a half assed attempt at making a promise to Niko, and he would see it through this time around. He noticed a few droplets of blood on one of her feet and wiped at them with the washcloth he brought in with him. She jumped at the sensation and turned to stare at him with a scared expression.

"I am-" Friend didn't sound right to him and he racked his brain for the right term in regard to his connection to Niko, "I am one of Niko's old associates from back home. I have no plans on harming you. We need to get off this boat. But I need you to follow exactly what I tell you to do." He leaned his head back into the footboard, wishing he still had his helmet on, and glanced toward the closed bedroom door. He strained his ears to see if he could pick up footsteps or doors being opened in the hallway.

"But I saw Niko shooting at you. And you are working with Rebecca." Kate shifted away from the man's body not liking the nearness of him. He had been unflinchingly violent and seemed so nonchalant now and it completely unnerved her. How could someone just end someone's life and not have any outward signs of remorse or pain? Especially someone he was working with. She narrowed her eyes at him and threw her guard up. If he could just kill someone on a whim, then what was stopping him from ending her own life?

"It is a complicated ordeal." It was all he wanted to offer her. If Niko hadn't disclosed what had happened, then he would respect his wishes. There were years of conversations and stories to fill on how he knew Niko and was involved in his life. What led to him wanting to betray and kill his entire unit. What closeness they all had that was destroyed over something as insignificant as heroin. She had hit the nail on the head with only a few words. It was uncanny how simple of an assumption had almost perfectly defined their situation. Niko and he were not on the best of terms and he was working for, ' _Did she call her Rebecca?'_ His face scrunched up at the name she used, "And her name is Natalya. She is Dimitri's cousin."

Everything screeched to a halt in her mind at the mention of Dimitri's name, "Wait. I know that name. Niko told me about him briefly. The guy wanted Niko dead, right? And his _cousin_ is the front desk attendant at Niko's apartment?!" She turned fully to face the man who had saved her and tugged her dress down to cover herself more, shifting to sit on her knees and calves. She studied the man before her and noticed a couple of similarities between him and Niko now that she could see his face. The strong jaw line, a few scars here and there, the haunted and hollow stare that would come and go from Niko's eyes. ' _Maybe he isn't so cold after all…'_ She dropped her eyes to the arm that was closest to her and saw the edge of the tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve.

Darko had to laugh. Clearly, she had no idea what was going on in Niko's life and it amused him to no end. "Niko must keep his life very private. I do not know the full story. But yes, Dimitri wanted him dead for reasons even I am unaware of. But his cousin, Natalya, wants you, Roman, and Niko dead. Niko killed Natalya's lover, Lenny Petrovic, and cousin, Dimitri Rascalov." He chuckled once more and felt rather smug at getting to air some of Niko's dirt to his girlfriend. He glanced down when she grabbed his right arm and shoved the sleeve back up to see the tattoo that rested in the crease of his elbow.

She trailed her finger over the faded ink and knew it was the exact same one that graced Niko and Bernie. She had seen Bernie's at dinner and had a more intimate version of the one on Niko. Her cheeks reddened slightly at the image of how he looked when she placed a kiss to the same tattoo. Her thoughts faded away as the conversation took over again in her mind. ' _If he has the same tattoo then maybe he can be trusted, even if it's just long enough to get off this ship…'_

"He had asked me for advice about some kind of deal involving someone named Jimmy and Dimitri. We weren't really _dating_ per say this whole time. I guess we were, it just wasn't really the confined definition of being a couple. But I was getting to the point of wanting more from him. And after… After…" She looked down to her lap and released his arm to fist her hands into the hem of her dress and couldn't figure out why she was even opening up to this man. She didn't even know his name and all she had to go off of was his word that he was once close to her boyfriend. As well as sporting a very personal tattoo to her boyfriend. Her eyes watered and obscured her vision.

"You do not have to explain to me." He could guess at what she was wanting to bring up. It made his skin crawl, and to think they weren't even in a relationship made the sickness in his stomach pitch. Carefully he lowered his sleeve back down to cover the tattoo. Her sniffling reached his ears and without even thinking he reached out brushed a couple of tears away from her uninjured cheek with his thumb. It caught him off guard when she leaned into his touch instead of pulling away and he turned his full attention to her. "I am not the one you should be seeking comfort from. Niko will likely kill me for even being this close to you."

"I am close to Bernie. And he doesn't want to kill him." She took his hand between hers and lowered it down between them, keeping a light hold on it. "The tattoo. It holds a deep meaning to them, and yet you have one as well. I am taking a chance on what little I know, but you have to have been close to Niko in order to have that _exact_ tattoo. Freedom, right?" She watched him look down to their clasped hands and he lightly dragged his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Лепа ти је душа ( _Lepa ti je duša_ )" Darko knew now why Niko had chosen her and why he was desperately trying to keep her safe and rescue her. Her soul was too beautiful and pure and would attract their lost souls easily. Like a beacon on the shore of a black sea. Even he felt some kind of weird pull toward her and felt his own resolve settle in his decision to get her back to Niko. She saw past their darkness and violent nature and showed them kindness when it was not warranted.

"Niko calls me Лепа ( _Lepa)_ all the time. I don't know enough of your language, but one day I will get there." She smiled lightly and squeezed his hand one final time before releasing him.

He was not ready for any kind of heartfelt conversations. Especially with his friend turned enemy back to mutual understanding's girlfriend. But she had said someone's name he didn't recognize. He thought he remembered everyone's name from their unit correctly. But he also had done enough black tar and drank himself into a stupor to forget their names that maybe he was missing one. He scrubbed his hand along his cargo pants to remove the feel of her soft hands from his skin and shifted to get to his feet. They had a boat to escape, and he needed to get them back on track.

The door jerked open as another armed man barged into the room. Darko shifted on his feet to block Kate best he could, but he knew he would have to kill this man. Their cover was about to be blown. " _What are you doing in my room?"_ He would hope the person was too dumb and would get closer to him so he could dispatch him swiftly and soundlessly. And that he would not spot the other dead body in the room…

" _Looking for her. Duh. What are YOU doing in here with HER?"_ The person shifted the rifle he held and pointed it at Darko and sent him a questioning glance, unsure of what was taking place.

" _Natalya said I could have a go. Remember?"_ He spun on his heel and dropped to a knee in front of Kate and fisted his hand in the front of her dress and hauled her to her feet, sending a rather apologetic look to her eyes. He didn't want to be rough, but he had to keep the rouse going long enough to kill the other person in the room. He pulled his knife from vest location and gave a warning glare to Kate who only opened and closed her mouth a couple of times in shock. He shifted his hold on the knife and in one fluid motion turned and threw the knife toward the person's throat.

He shoved Kate back toward the bed and pulled his pistol from his hip and took a couple of steps forward as the person fell to their knees clutching the knife that was embedded fully in their neck. He ran over to the person and twisted the knife ending the life quickly. He dragged the body back into the room and slowly closed the door. "Keep your eyes closed if you are uneasy with the sight of blood or dead bodies." He called over his shoulder softly hoping Kate hadn't watched him kill another person. He didn't need her to pass out on him. He wouldn't be able to carry her around and fight off everyone at the same time.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Kate mumbled from her place on the bed, covering her face with her hands.

Darko dragged the newly dispatched body back toward the other dead one and yanked his knife free, "They will start looking for us. They are already down a couple of people." He wiped the knife on his pantleg and shoved it back into the holster on his chest. He moved over to the chest of drawers in his room and opened the top one. He would need to stock up to make sure he could take on the rest of Natalya's men.

"What is the plan exactly? Just run around the ship killing people?" Kate sat up on the bed and snapped her eyes away from the two bodies that were on the ground by the entrance to the bathroom. The amount of blood that was saturating the carpet was making her stomach lurch.

"Something like that. Niko should be getting a boat to meet up with us." He tucked a couple of magazines into the pockets of his combat cargo pants. He tucked a spare pistol in the waistband of his pants and turned to look at her when she didn't answer him right away. She was staring off toward the bedroom door and looked slightly pale. "Look. I am not going to apologize for killing them. They needed to be killed. It is a them or us situation. You need to understand that." He shut the drawer to the dresser.

"No. I get it. It's just something I'm not accustomed to seeing." She edged her way off the bed to stand up. She hadn't looked at the man who Niko had shot, and he had told her to keep her eyes closed till they reached the living room in her Ma's home. Maybe he had slaughtered the other man in a similar fashion. Her insides squeezed painfully at the image she conjured of Niko stabbing the other man the way see had seen Niko's friend go at the other dead body in the room.

"You are dating someone who kills for a living and you aren't accustomed to death?" Darko slanted his eyebrows not understanding the disconnect and crossed his arms.

"It is not death I have a problem with. Can we just not talk about it? I'm not in the mood to discuss the innerworkings of my relationship with someone I love. And especially not with someone whose name I don't even know." Kate huffed and blushed slightly at letting the person know how she felt about Niko. She kept close to the bed as she worked her way around it to stand closer to the bedroom door. She would much rather be out of the room and away from the two corpses. There was a smell that wafted through the air that was making her skin crawl.

"Then let us get moving, yes? We need to get control of the wheelhouse. I need to set a new course to crash this boat ashore. Can you swim?" He turned back toward the dresser and lifted up his heavy black riding jacket. He slipped a pistol down into the inner chest pocket. He looked up to see her shift her arms more protectively around herself and turned completely away from where he stood next to the dead bodies.

"Not for a very long time. But I can stay afloat. Why?" She glared over her shoulder to him as he kept still in the same place by the two bodies on the floor as if he were taunting her to take a look at his handy work.

"We will need to jump before the ship crashes of course." He walked over to her to stand by her side. He hadn’t played protection detail in a very long time and he would do his best to stay vigilant. He flipped the heavy jacket around and dropped it over her shoulders, it was freezing outside, and he would try to give her one extra layer of protection. Their eyes locked as she hesitantly slipped her arms into the larger sleeves of his jacket. He pulled the zipper up to the base of her neck and shifted the heavy material around to make it lay right. He could almost read the uneasiness in her eyes and decided to start up a lighter conversation to keep her motivated to keep moving and possibly lift her spirits.

“Who is Bernie?”

aaaaaa

Gerry groaned as his mind stirred to life. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying down on a slightly firm surface. He blinked his eyes open and let the memories fall into place. He had managed to escape from the helicopter, ran into a helpful cop, got to the docs place, and then nothing. He closed his eyes and took in a full breath and was relieved to not have the searing pain shoot over his back. He wiggled his fingers of the arm he broke and was happy to not have the sting run up his arm. He had been tended to and would be able to get back to the church to find his sister. His groggy mind was trying to tell him something as he made to sit up.

Someone placed a hand on his chest, and pressed firmly to keep him still, "Don't move too fast. I don't want you tearing your stitches. You've been out for a while." The doc leaned into his line of sight and he immediately felt the rush of pain down his back as he tried once more to lean up off the examination table.

"How bad was it?" Gerry lifted the arm he knew was broken and saw a heavy cast had been wrapped around his hand and up to his elbow. The arm had quit throbbing and the only thing that was really bothering him was his back. He squinted his eyes as everything started to blur.

"Not as bad as I was envisioning. The sedatives will take a minute or two to flush free of your system. So let's take it slow okay?" He tried to force Gerry to lay back down, but he could see the resistance and protest forming on his patient's face.

"I can't just stay here. My sister needs my help. Let me up doc." Gerry was starting to get mad at the constant pressure on his chest and he grabbed the doctors wrist with his good hand.

"I understand that, but. Um…" The doc leaned away from the table to look over his shoulder into the living room. Gerry could see the uneasy nature the doctor was displaying, and he tried to look over to what had caught his attention.

"What? The cops here or something?" Irrational fear flooded his body and he shoved himself upright, regretting the action immediately as the room spun and caused him to want to empty the contents of his stomach, which wasn't much. The doc turned back to him and handed him a small pail to throw up into if he needed to.

"No. But it is _so_ good to see you alive." A thick accent, with a rather joyful undertone reached his ears. He turned to locate who had spoken. He knew that voice, dreaded ever hearing it, and wished to never come in contact with them ever again. Once his vision cleared enough, he made out the figure of Kenny Petrovic.

"I'm not so sure I'm glad to see you." He laid the pail down on the headrest of the table. If he were here to kill him, he would take it like a man and be standing. The doc moved into his line of sight and held up a soft looking dress shirt. He glanced down to his body and saw that he was shirtless. He grabbed the new shirt that the doc handed him and used the offered help from the doctor to slip his arms into the sleeves and pull it up his body to button.

"You should be. I know where your sister is being held. And I helped your brother recover. I have never had a use or need to get involved with your affiliation. Gordon Sargent does speak highly of you though." Kenny moved back into the living space and sank down on the couch. Gerry could see biker, Johnny, from earlier was also sitting in a chair in the room looking rather uncomfortable.

"What do you want Kenny? I don't have time for mind games and lofty words. I have places I need to be." Gerry tested his feet against the plastic covered carpet to see if he would be able to hold his weight. So far his body hadn't protested the movement. The doc held his good arm and guided him to stand up fully.

"To the point I see. Very well then. We all have a rather common enemy. I have already cleared my deck of debts and wish to make peace. You have lots of ground to regain in Broker if my memory serves me correctly," Kenny turned his attention to the other man sitting in the room, "And you have no real chapter left and need a fresh start." He held his arms out wide as to show that it was a great deal and there would be no foul play.

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Gerry scoffed, and with the help of the doc, moved into the living space to glare at the kingpin of Russian crime. "She was your future daughter-in-law. Why the hell are you wanting her dead? Shouldn't you be gunning for Niko?"

"What's this got to do with Niko?" Johnny recognized the name of the man he had gone on several botched jobs with. He leaned forward on the chair he was sitting in, now interested in what was taking place. He didn't like that Kenny had hauled him back to the docs house, but now understood something much bigger was going on.

"Never mind about Niko. He and I have reached our own agreement." He waved his hands and focused on the coffee table that sat in front of him, "I have a proposition to give. One that will benefit us all. If you will listen?"

"And if we don't like it?" Gerry glanced over to the other man in the room and gave a half shrug. He didn't have much knowledge about dealing with Kenny- except to avoid him and not mess with his business. Something Niko was never warned about.

"I will leave here, and we will never speak again. Yes?" He crossed his arms and waited for the leaders of their respective gangs to either nod or reject his offer. If he could unite some of the underground mafias then there could be a time of peace in Liberty, something he desperately wanted. He was getting on in age and he had aged significantly with the passing of his son.

"Go ahead Kenny." Gerry decided to take the lead. Johnny didn't look like he was much of a talker and he figured he would need to get Kenny to get to the point. ‘ _The faster the better…’_

"I propose we eliminate the enemy together and form a mutually beneficial agreement. I, the leader of the largest mafia in Liberty and the country, would grant you Gerry the old territory that was carved out by Faustin and Dimitri mafia's. And for John Boy here I would give him the land I own in Grapeseed, San Andreas. And we all agree to not fuck with one another's businesses. And live our own merry little lives. In peace." Kenny turned his palms up to show he didn't have anything up his sleeves. It was something he had been working toward. He would have uses for the biker gang and Irish mob… at a later date.

"Sounds too good to be true if you ask me." Johnny spoke up from his position. He met Gerry's stare and knew he was thinking the same thing. He may not know much about the leader of the Petrovic mafia, but the reputation of him was spoken of everywhere.

"Details can be worked out later. I already have deals in place with some of your friends. We all have issue with the Angels of Death, Triads, Korean Mob, Albanians, the Pavano's, and more importantly Dimitri and his cousin Natalya. What is the problem with joining forces?" He looked between the two leaders and sent a questioning glare. Why couldn't they see the goldmine he was offering them?

"So long as I get Pa's old seat at the table. I want my own terms though." Gerry crossed his arms and winced at the pulling sensation on his back. He would need to get the details from the doc on what all he had done to him. He was almost scared to look in a mirror at his back.

"Mr. Klebitz?" Kenny turned a rather smug look Johnny's direction. He had Gerry on the hook and now all he needed was to close the deal with the now defunct chapter of The Lost.

"Shit so long as I can make sure we don't get fucked over, I'm in." Johnny nodded his head. It would be the new start they all needed. And it would be away from Liberty City and the bad memories that haunted it.

A timid looking man walked into the room from the entryway and everyone turned to look at him. Kenny raised his eyebrow in a silent question for the rude interruption. He had told his guards to stay outside and not bother him till he came back out of the house.

"Si-sir. She is fleeing on a yacht. Our men will not be able to catch her in time from where our boats are docked in East Hook." He visibly flinched by the murderous glare that was sent his way from his boss.

"Then ready the chopper. We leave immediately."

aaaaaa

Niko dragged a stunned and surprised Roman down the hall he had used to get upstairs. He didn't like the idea of Darko going after Kate alone, but it would give him a chance to get Roman to safety. He only hoped that Packie had secured them a way to get out of the area. He could hear footsteps ahead of him and he let go of Roman to pull both pistols out. A couple of enemies moved out from the entrance to the breakroom and he opened fire. Dropping the bodies easily.

"Niko, shouldn't we be trying to get on the boat?" Roman leaned into the wall as a wave of nausea tried to overtake him. He had seen more dead bodies in one day than he ever cared to see again.

"We are. We just have to go about it a different way. If Natalya sees me coming there is nothing stopping her from killing Kate." He emptied the magazines from the pistols letting them clatter to the ground and reloaded them quickly, tucking them back into the holsters. He pulled his rifle around to his front and made sure he knew how many bullets he had before stepping over the dead bodies to enter the breakroom.

Roman used the doorframe to steady himself as he slightly jumped over the two men on the ground, "And you just let Darko go? I thought for sure you two were going to kill one another!"

"I have no choice." Niko muttered darkly as he moved toward a window to look out the blinds. The boat had almost completely left the dock and was slowly turning to be able to set out for the ocean.

"You could have gone after him." Roman hobbled over to stand by his cousin. He wasn't sure what all was going on, but he could almost see the seething that lay just under the surface of Niko.

"And leave you defenseless? No. Darko knows his life is forfeit if Kate is killed." He glared at Roman not really wanting to speak much more on the current situation. He was trying to keep his own anger contained and not lash out. The last time he had let his anger run free, Bernie had been shot. He would not let that happen again.

"Give me a gun NB. I can help." Roman held his hand out and hoped he was giving him an expectant glare. His face was throbbing in pain and he could only really see out of his one eye.

"You don't even know how to fire one." Niko ignored his cousin's outstretched hand and headed toward the door he had used earlier to enter the upper levels. ' _Just keep moving. Find Packie, force them to get to safety, then find a boat or something to catch the yacht. No distractions.'_

"Niko Bellic you listen to me! Give me a damn gun. You don't have to do everything on your own!" Roman grabbed Niko's forearm and yanked him around to face him instead of the door. He would set the record straight right now before being shot at again. He needed his cousin to know he was here for him, and not just as a crash pad, or as a way to get out of Europe. They were family. They were friends. They were going to take on the world together now.

"Yes, I do!" Niko yelled out and slapped his cousin's hand off of him, "Look at what happens when I involve people!" He gestured around them with the rifle, "You almost lost everything because I came back into your life. So yes Roman. I will do this on my own. No one else is going to get hurt or die because of me. _No one_!" He removed one of the pistols from the holster and shoved it into one of Roman's hands. He figured it wouldn't be the worst idea to give him some form of protection as they were about to head into battle.

"I'm sorry." Roman lowered his voice and looked down to the pistol that rested in his hand. He had never fired one before and he was starting to second guess asking for one. He wouldn't even know how to fire it properly to kill someone. Not that he ever wanted to end someone else's life before.

"Save it." Niko huffed and turned the gun in Roman's hand and shifted his grip to show him how to hold it. He flipped off the safety and met Roman's eyes, "Safety is off. Just point and pull the trigger. There are only nine rounds. Either count or save the shooting to me." He released his cousin's hand and somewhat pushed the gun from pointing his direction. He turned back toward the door and sighed heavily to get his mind clear in order to get them both out of the factory alive. He knew some of Kenny's men were down there, but he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between friend and foe. And he was sure Kenny's men weren't to be trusted.

Roman swallowed the lump in his throat and figured once things settled down, they would be able to speak to one another. He knew he would be just as angry if someone had kidnapped Mallorie. He would let it all slide to the side and do as his cousin said. If there was one thing he could always rely on with Niko- it was keeping him safe and coming to his aid. ' _He is wrong though. Things have been going in the right direction since he came to stay with me. He was what I was missing in my life…'_ He glanced up in time to see Niko nod once before opening the door to the factory.

Niko crouched down and moved slowly out onto the catwalk. He could see that most of the fighting was slowing down now that the yacht had left the dock. Men were running toward it waving their arms and screaming, probably wanting on the ship to avoid being killed or arrested. Other more heavily armed men, weapons trained toward the screaming people, approached as a group. He figured those were Kenny's men. He looked over his shoulder to where Roman was squatted down and jerked his head to the side to let him know to follow him.

Once Roman reached his side he started down the staircase, using the scope on the rifle to locate anyone that may have noticed them leaving the breakroom. He tried to not let his outward appearance show how irritated he was. He needed to keep his mind blank, his body calm, and his focus sharp. There was too much at stake and he wouldn't let someone he loved to be killed. With how his emotions were weighing on him, there would be no denying how strongly he felt for Kate. He just hoped the damage done, wasn't something they both couldn't overcome.

Niko watched as the far side entrance exploded in a shower of sparks, fully geared up IAA agents rushing in guns firing. They charged the men along the dock taking no prisoners. "Shit. Here is our chance Roman. Stay close." Niko lowered his rifle and started down the stairs quickly. He would use the commotion the IAA was making to get them both outside and back to where he left Packie. He kept looking over his shoulder periodically to make sure Roman kept up. The sounds of helicopters overhead grew louder, and he figured the calvary had arrived.

They reached the door Niko had used to enter, and they both silently slipped out into the frigid nighttime air. Bright spotlights from the choppers above them flooded the area in light, red and blue flashing lights lined the streets from where FIB, IAA, and Alderney police cars were parked, Kenny's men were scattering about the factory yard trying to get back to their own vehicles to not be caught in the scuffle. Niko kept close to the outer wall not wanting to be spotted and mistaken for an enemy.

"Come on Roman, Packie is back this way." As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught the sight of a speedboat pulling up along the brick lined shore of the dock. Packie was waving frantically from behind the steering wheel.

"Your chariot awaits man!" Packie hollered over the noise and chaos, waving a submachine gun over his head.

"Let's go!" Niko tugged on Roman's arm and got them running toward the water’s edge. He wasn't sure where Packie had found a boat, but he would thank him later when he got the chance. He would get Roman on first to make sure he would get to safety. Then he would board the boat. They ducked as a couple of people opened fire on them once they were out in the open, slowing slightly in their approach. One of the police spotlights landed on their location and gave away their position.

"Get on Roman!" Niko shouted as they reached the edge of the yard and where the boat bobbed slightly in the choppy water. Packie was holding his hand out to help haul them onto the deck. He shoved at Roman's back to get him moving and watched as he jumped slightly to land on the polished wooden decking, collapsing down on all fours, letting out a painfilled yelp. Packie dropped down to help get him situated into a chair and check out what caused him to get hurt.

Niko prepared to make the jump to the boat but caught sight of someone that was charging at him. He swung around to take aim with his rifle but misjudged how close the person was getting and was tackled down to the gravel on the factory yard. He used his rifle as a guard to keep the man from jabbing the blade into his chest. He didn't think the bullet proof vest would withstand punctures from knives.

"Niko!" Packie yelled as he stood up to help get him on the boat. He watched in horror as his friend fought off an enraged enemy that was trying to jam a knife into him.

Niko felt his arms shake against the person's full weight and shifted his knee to give him some kind of leverage. He pushed with all his strength to lift the person off of him enough to slip a hand to his remaining pistol and unloaded the entire magazine into the person's stomach and chest. Thankfully, they weren't wearing a vest and they went limp against him. He rolled the person off of him and looked over to where the boat was, trying to sit up slightly. More people were running his direction and he knew he wouldn't be able to get on the boat without drawing their fire toward Roman and Packie.

"Get going! Chase down the yacht! Kate is on there!" Niko twisted over to use his hands and knees to get off the ground. He shoved the pistol back into the holster, readied his rifle, and returned fire at the enemies that were trying to kill him.

"NB! Come on! You can make it!" Roman screamed frantically toward his cousin and moved to the edge of the boat to try and get back on land to go to his aid. He had landed wrong on his wrist and it was hurting more than his face was, but he knew he could help in some form or fashion. He wouldn’t abandon his family.

"NO!" Niko yelled back before a bullet struck his vest under his jacket and he stumbled back toward a metal electrical box. Pain erupted across his stomach and his hand immediately sought out the bullet to remove it from the Kevlar. His thumb brushed over the larger caliber bullet and knew he wouldn't be able to just yank it free. He sank down to his one good knee and gasped in air trying to push through the urge to throw up. He blearily looked over toward Packie and Roman who were screaming out to him. They needed to get out of here, he could manage this on his own.

"Leave. Get Kate!" He waved his arm sharply hoping they would just get moving on the boat already. He locked eyes with Packie and could see the internal struggle before he nodded once and dropped back down to the wheel of the boat and took off toward the yacht that was picking up speed toward the open sea.

"Fuck." Niko whispered as he reached into one of the pockets of his jacket to get out two of the syringes- one to kill the pain, the other to get his heartrate going faster. His fingers brushed against something else and he glanced down as he pulled the object out. A shorter metal key fell into the palm of his hand. A symbol for a motorcycle was etched into the square head of the key. His eyes darted around the yard looking for a bike and did a double take when he spotted a Shitzu Hakuchou custom racing bike.

Bullets ricocheted off the metal electrical box he was using as cover and it knocked him from his thoughts. He set the key down and pulled out two of the syringes and popped the caps off and jabbed them into his upper thigh, injecting the meds quickly. The drugs hit his system immediately and he felt the adrenaline kick his body into overdrive. He discarded them to the gravel and picked up the key again. Shifting in his position he got ready to return fire. He would kill enough of them to give himself an opening, then he would take off for the bike.

He popped up from behind his cover and fired at the first couple of people he could see and shifted between targets rapidly, draining the magazine. He pressed the release button for the magazine and tilted the gun slightly to have it dislodge on its own, before pulling a new one from his pocket and reloading the rifle. He pulled the firing mechanism to load one in the chamber and went back to eliminating enemies. Bodies dropped left and right, and he moved from behind the cover and backed up toward where the bike was parked.

He let his mind go blank and fell into old habits- the war had taught him much. Chest, then head. Chest, then head. Minute movements to keep his arms close to his body and to not do any unnecessary moves. Small targets were no longer hard to hit, and he didn't need to waste ammo with a double tap to the chest before going for the kill shot of the head. Keep the targets in one location to avoid someone flanking him. Be prepared to reload before the count goes out in his mind.

The magazine fell out of the rifle and a new one was inserted before the old one hit the ground. He could see them trying to take cover and get out of his sights, but he would leave no one alive. Arms, legs, faces- anything that poked out from behind their cover got a bullet. He knew that was the last magazine and he would need to get on the bike. The pistol wouldn't be good for distance firing. They were meant for closer quarters. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding before dropping his rifle to his side and flung his leg over the bike.

A helicopter overhead lowered slightly, and he could read the LCPD letters along the tail. Someone rolled open the door and waved down to him and then pointed toward the other enemies and where the yacht was heading. He nodded his understanding; he would get some cover for the time being. He just hoped the idiots didn't have rocket launchers on them. He shoved the key into the ignition and revved the engine a couple of times and had to smirk at the level of power the bike had. ' _Darko did love fast bikes.'_

The officers in the helicopter readied their own rifles and started to shoot at the people who were still trying to make their way toward Niko. The gunfire overhead was drowned out by the roar of the bike that sat between his legs. He let the back tire spin before taking off toward the crowd of enemies, the speed giving him tunnel vision briefly. He swerved between objects and people, gaining ground along the shore to where Packie was pushing the boat to its limits to catch up to the full speed yacht.

He kept glancing between the location of the boats and what was in front of him. The docks gave way to the sandy shores of the West River and he had to adjust his speed and handling of the bike as the sand was looser to drive over. The back tire skidded slightly before he regained control. A slight ringing in his ear caused him to startle slightly and he reached up to press the talk button on the earpiece he still had on.

" _Next time you take off without us, I will personally hunt you down and shoot both of your knees out."_ Bernard seethed over the line, causing Niko's smirk to deepen.

"There won't be a next time." He jerked the bike out of the way of a couple of rocks that littered the sandy shoreline.

" _You have that right. On your six."_ Niko twisted slightly to be able to look over his shoulder and saw several helicopters following him, a couple of them branched off to chase after the yacht as its direction changed. Bernard saluted from the pilot's seat of one of the choppers and tilted the bird down in order to speed up to catch up to Niko.

He watched as Bernard pulled the aircraft up alongside the water's edge, Little Jacob was sitting on the edge of the opening holding a rocket launcher, and he could see Ron in the other pilot's seat. Hope warred inside his chest at seeing everyone coming to his aid to help him finish off Natalya. But he also regretted having put them all in the situation to begin with. He tuned back forward and revved the bike and picked up speed, he was running out of available land to drive on.

"How are your flying skills?" Niko glanced to the helicopter that was keeping up with his pace along the coast. He fought the smile that wanted to tug at his lips for repeating the conversation they had in the SUV on their way to Roman's house.

" _Decent and much better than my driving skills. What are you thinking this time?"_ Niko could pick up on the slight humor that Bernard put behind his words.

"You see the ramp?" Niko focused on the wooden, rickety, looking ramp that was abandoned on the beach before the cutoff by the prison.

" _You are one crazy motherfucker you know that?"_ Bernard turned serious as he started to lift the helicopter up above him.

" _This is not something LCPD prepares you for."_ Ron muttered over the open communication line and caused Bernard to chuckle.

"I'm taking it." Niko pushed the bike to its limits and felt the wind rush past his face and through his short hair. The ramp got closer rapidly and he prepared to launch himself and the bike into the air. He took one last glance to the position of the aircraft and turned the bike's trajectory a hair before the tires struck the wood at the base of the ramp. Time slowed down as he took off into the sky. The water and ground swiftly leaving him. He released the bike knowing the weight would only drag him down faster. He watched as the blades of the helicopter whipped around below him. The feeling of flying was a brief experience before gravity reached out and started to tug him toward the water.

Bernard judged the distance and realized that Niko would be above them. He flipped the controls to his seat and jerked the bird to roll to its side, yelling out for everyone to hold on. Niko began to plummet toward them and the now sideways opening of the helo. He reached out to grab something to keep him from going right through to the other open side. Little Jacob lurched from his position and slammed into him before Bernard knocked the controls the other direction to level it out. Niko and Jacob tumbled toward the opposite opening before the floor of the helicopter smashed upwards to meet them. Niko started to fall out the other opening and both Jacob and Badman grabbed hold of his arms to haul him back inside the aircraft.

"Everyone on board?!" Bernard yelled from his pilot’s seat.

Ron twisted around to check on everyone and let out a sigh of relief seeing Niko, Badman, and Jacob sprawled out on the floor, "All accounted for!"

"Then let's kill the bitch and have a drink back at my place!" Bernard turned the bird in the direction of the yacht and charged ahead to it.

Niko shifted to his hands and felt Jacob help haul him upright. He leaned into his friend’s arm and took in several deep breaths trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He hadn't pulled a stunt like that in years. Even running for his life before the explosives went off at Kenny's garage hadn't caused him to get this worked up. He could feel the sweat trying to bead down his face and he shakily reached up to wipe away at it.

"Me breda, easy star!" Jacob partially dragged him away from the open side door and let Niko shift to sit on his behind.

"Great catch by the way!" He raised his voice so Bernard would be able to hear him, even if it were mostly directed toward Jacob. His hands trembled slightly, and he opened and closed them to get rid of the tingles that went in waves through his fingers. He knew the crash was imminent from the drugs he took, and he moved to be able to pull out the last two syringes he had on him.

"Was never one for sports. So I'd say it was a success!" Bernard yelled over the noise of the spinning blades of the helicopter.

"Too risky. Couldn't we have just landed and let him on like any normal human would do?" Ron asked smirking at the IAA agent that had a rather wild streak to him.

"This was- this was quicker." Niko was having trouble breathing deeply and he leaned back to lay down against the metal floor. He could practically feel his heart wanting to smash through his ribcage and he placed a hand over it to make sure it wouldn't somehow comically burst through his chest.

"Niko man? What's the problem?" Jacob leaned over him and patted his pale face, "You bleedin' somewhere?" He lowered his eyes and noticed a hole in the blue jacket he wore where a shiny mangled bullet was embedded into the Kevlar vest.

"I took a bullet before getting on the bike. Should be fine." He covered his eyes with one of his hands and rubbed at them trying to remove the headache that was starting to build there. He let Jacob open his jacket and sweater to get a better look at the vest and bullet. He would just take a small breather and be ready to go once they caught up to the ship.

"Breda. You're bleeding. Star this went right through the layers." Jacob let the jacket and sweater fall open when he pulled the zippers down and knew in an instant the larger round had ripped the vest to shreds. The under shirt was turning red and even the hem of the dark green combat pants was wet.

"Fuck. The meds definitely didn't help any then." The adrenaline would have just worked his heart over to get the blood pumping… and would make the wound bleed more.

"What did you take?" Ron asked as he unbuckled himself from the copilot's chair. He patted the IAA agent's shoulder to let him know he had the controls before climbing back into the main compartment of the helicopter.

"I grabbed some morphine and epinephrine when I left the hospital. It's a mix we'd use in the war to keep going." Niko removed his hand from his eyes and slid it back to run it over his hair. Now that he knew he was bleeding; he was starting to feel sick. His vision was getting blurry and his fingers were going slightly numb as the morphine pulsed through his body.

"That only works if you keep moving. You about to crash on us?" Ron knelt down next to Jacob and lifted Niko's wrist to check his blood pressure, which caused him to frown. It was high. Really high.

"Something like that. I haven't taken anything like this in over a year." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "I got more on me. Should be what I need to jump start myself."

"That's not safe. I can't let you just overdose or kill yourself on accident." Ron opened the vest to get a better look at the wound. The vest had definitely taken the brunt of the force but didn't stop the bullet completely. He glanced to the mangled remains of the bullet and could only see a small portion, "I think part of it broke off inside you. I can't be certain, but the caliber needed to cause this damage would have something much larger left behind." He yanked the metal off the vest and inspected it between his fingers.

"I'll be fine. Just need to stop her from killing Kate." Niko muttered cracking his eyes open to look at Ron.

"We can handle it Niko." Bernard called over his shoulder from the cockpit.

"My fight. My problem." Niko frowned at how everyone kept trying to put themselves in harm’s way for something he needed to finish.

"And we are your friends breda. Let's do this together." Jacob opened one of the med kits from under a chair and pulled out some bandages and gauze. He knew how stubborn Niko could get and would help patch him up to the best of his ability, knowing Niko would just go off into battle anyway.

Niko remained silent and let his friends clean his wound and bandage him up. He would let them get him close enough to the yacht and he would somehow get on board. He would leave them behind in order to track down Natalya on his own. They didn't need to be hurt, shot at, or killed. They all had their own lives to live and he would make sure they still had the chance to do so. He had promised himself that no one else would have to suffer for his mistakes and choices. His chest squeezed with the thought- Kate had suffered the most for his yearning to be close to her. It was clearly too much to ask to have something good in his life.

"The yacht is picking up speed. But. Shit! They are going to crash into Happiness Island!" Bernard watched the trajectory change again of the yacht before the vessel picked up tremendous speed. Bernard flipped a switch above his head and pulled the microphone down on his headset, "This is IAA chopper one calling to confirm visual on target. Does anyone copy? Over."

" _IAA chopper one this is LCPD helo delta, we confirm target has accelerated its knots. We've dispatched all available units to try and intercept hostile vessel. Over."_

The warning alarm blared loudly within the helicopter and Bernard released the flares as a rocket tried to strike them, "Requesting air support. Ground to air missiles have targeted my position. Over." There was a blast of static over the line and Bernard yanked the headset off his ears due to the pain the sound caused him, "What the fuck?" Bernard flipped a couple more switches and pressed the open comm button to try and reestablish communications with the LCPD, his own team, or anyone else with a transponder on and operational.

Ron padded the gun wound on Niko and tapped it down tightly. The pressure would help for the time being and he redid the bulletproof vest to add more pressure to it. He met Niko's eyes and gave him a slight nod. It would have to do for the time being. He needed to get back to the cockpit to help the agent fly the helicopter and try to reestablish communication with anyone that could help them. He carefully climbed back into the copilot's chair and took control of the bird to give the pilot a chance to get comms up and working.

Niko groaned and forced himself to sit upright. His old injuries from the church were starting to come back to life and he shook his head against the pain that wanted to course through his body. He held his hand out to Jacob who only silently pulled him up to be able to sit into a seat. They worked together to buckle the seatbelts and get strapped in for the erratic flying that was bound to take place once more rockets headed their direction.

Loud rap music started to blast over the open comm lines, and they all jumped against the onslaught of sound that was pumping through the speakers. The warning siren wasn't even loud enough to drown out the music and Ron maneuvered the bird out to the rocket's path, releasing more flares to try and get the heat seeking missile to go for the distraction. The music lowered slightly as a middle eastern accented voice yelled out. " _Fucking A' you bitches looking for a fight!_ "

" _Yusuf just focus would you!_ " A Hispanic sounding voice yelled over the volume of the music.

A gold Buzzard helicopter blasted past them and launched several missiles down toward the yacht, taking over the fight to give them a chance to recover. It flew erratically and was rather impressive in its aggressive firing and attack patterns.

"Who the fuck are these yahoos?!" Bernard yelled out as he watched the golden fighter bird drop a hundred feet to charge headfirst toward the yacht and the people he could make out on the deck.

"Yusuf Amir more than likely. Dude is rather eccentric." Ron offered as he decided to drop down to the same level and help shoot out the rocket launchers and other people that were trying to take them out of the sky.

"You mean to tell me the real estate developer and nightclub owner has come to our rescue?" Bernard shook his head and flipped the control switch over to be able to take over flying the craft, "Use the underbelly guns to target the stationary guided missiles along the starboard side of the boat."

Niko watched from the open side doors as more and more police, FIB, IAA, and personal speed boats caught up to them on the water. He could make out Packie swerving back and forth using the wake of a larger ship to jump the waves to try to get ahead of them all. Roman was clutching the side of the boat tightly and looked to be screaming his head off. Various guns were firing in the direction of the yacht and a few rockets launched in retaliation for the ones that were being shot at them.

"Who knew so many people hated the Rascalov's?" Jacob exclaimed as he lost count of the number of boats trying to charge after the fleeing yacht.

"Roman had said the whole city hated her. I guess he was right." Niko was slightly stunned by the sheer number of people who were all trying to do what he was- end the life of Natalya Rascalov.

"Сваком ко слуша, планирам да се срушим у луку острва Среће. Будите спремни за борбу. ( _Svakom ko sluša, planiram da se srušim u luku ostrva Sreće. Budite spremni za borbu._ ) _"_ Darko's voice spoke over the open radio wave and Niko snapped his eyes to look at Bernard to see if he heard correctly. Bernard's frown deepened as he flew the helicopter out of the way of a wayward rocket.

" _He plans to crash into the harbor on Happiness Island?!"_ Niko spoke in Serbian to Bernard and released his seatbelt to lean into the space between Ron and Bernard in the cockpit. He winced at the pain that flared from his gunshot wound. He reached out and grabbed the headset and flipped the microphone down to be able to have his voice heard more clearly over the line of communication. He pressed the pilot one headset button in order to make the conversation private. " _Comrade. There is precious cargo aboard. Crashing doesn't sound like that great of a plan."_ He hoped it was only Darko that knew Serbian on the yacht.

" _You know I will not endanger her. Meet us on the island. Our time has come to end our mission. Our oath."_ Darko responded back in a slightly coded message, knowing Niko would understand what was being said, and what wasn't. There was a slight shuffling sound over the headset and Niko pressed the ear cuffs tightly to his head.

" _Волим те (Volim te)_ " Kate's voice came through the headset and nearly stopped Niko's heart. It had been too long since he had heard her voice. She sounded scared, but there was a strength to her words. He would trust that she wasn't in duress and had said the words on her own volition. It didn't sound like a goodbye and certainly didn't sound like she didn't want to say the words to him.

" _волим те лепото (volim te lepoto)._ I am coming for you. Just hold on." Niko repeated the sentiment back in hopes that she would take some kind of comfort in his words. He was on his way and he would get to her soon. The line went quiet before several gunshots rang out. He was unsure if it was safe to call out to her or Darko, and he didn't want to blow Darko's cover if he was still trying to play both sides.

" _We will get to her Niko. Don't worry."_ Bernard softly spoke to him before switching the headset button off to make the communication back over the speakers. He held the mute button for a second and briefly looked to Niko, "The only place to send out a direct line from that style of boat would be from the wheelhouse and navigation room. Which happens to be on the top deck." He released the mute button and turned his focus back to flying the aircraft. He would try to navigate down to the island to cut off any escape path that could be planned.

Ron tried to produce some kind of team name for everyone that was attacking the fleeing vessel and was coming up blank, "IAA, FIB, LCPD, and other's on this revenge mission- this is Detective Ron from the Westminster Police Station. Avoid hitting the command deck of the yacht. There are friendlies on board. Repeat. Do not target top deck. Try to render the ship immobile if possible."

" _This is the Sultan of Amir and I one hundred percent copy that order!"_ The golden buzzard dropped to skim along the surface of the ocean and started to fire the turret gun at the lowest point on the back of the yacht where the rudders and engine might be.

"They are going to try and crash the boat into the harbor. There will be injuries I'm sure. Is there a medical vessel somewhere close by?" Bernard spoke out as he tilted the bird down to charge ahead toward the Statue of Happiness. He would find a safe place to land in order to cut off any escape path Natalya might try once the boat was destroyed in the crash.

" _LCPD has contacted the Navy to dispatch a destroyer and rescue ship. White cross is also enroute."_

" _FIB requests that the destroyer not fire upon the yacht. It will completely destroy the ship."_

_"Navy copies the request; will have jurisdiction once they cross into international waters. We will not engage till then."_

Niko tried to drown out all the voices over the radio and watched as the yacht continued to charge full steam ahead toward the docks of Happiness Island. Bernard was pushing the bird to its limits to try and beat it there, but he wasn't sure how quick they would be able to land before the boat slammed into the concrete barrier. His stomach knotted up with every second that the boat didn't slow down. The golden helicopter was unleashing hell to the lower decks and should have hit something by now.

They were gaining ground and Niko had to move back toward the open doors to be able to watch the attack on the ship. So many boats were unloading magazine after magazine into the sides, hardly doing any damage to the hull. But he assumed it made them feel good to be contributing in some way. He lowered down and let his legs dangle over the edge to rest on the tops of the skid rails. He silently reloaded his pistol with his final magazine and tucked it back into the holster for safe keeping. Jacob joined him at his side and together they watched as the details of the statue became clearer to their eyes.

"Seen, Niko. We going fe get dem now. Dere ain't nowhere she can go." Jacob spoke out as he trailed his eyes over the many boats trying to catch up to the larger ship.

"Thank you for helping me with this. It was not your fight." Niko kept his eyes trained on the upper decks trying to spot Darko or Kate moving around. But so far, the only people on the outside levels were shooting rockets and guns at the golden buzzard.

"I got ya back, breda." Jacob lightly punched Niko's shoulder.

"This is something that I have to do. Kate has a messed up family, but she remained good. She… She is worth protecting. I can't let her die. By helping me today you are doing something good." He had winced at the punch and shifted his hand into the jacket pocket to make sure he still had the last two syringes of meds on him. He would wait for the right time to take them. He would make sure he had the best chance at finishing his final mission in life.

"Irie, Niko." Jacob took hold of the opening when he helicopter shifted slightly and dropped suddenly before evening out.

"I do not care if I am killed, if I am hurt, as long as she pays for her attack. If I live, I will be able to say that today, I did not hesitate. I did what was right. I will have finally won." He continued searching the multiple decks trying to see someone. The wind was cold out over the water and he sniffed slightly against the chill that invaded his lungs.

"We've come a long way from complete nobody's to somebody's eh star?" Jacob pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned at the fighting taking place. Something should have slowed the boat down by now. Something wasn't right.

"I'd still prefer to be someone's nobody, then everyone's somebody." Niko mused silently as he watched a door being flung open along the upper promenade. His body tensed as he waited for someone to emerge from inside the ship.

"I'm going to try to land somewhat close to the tentative impact site." Bernard clicked a couple of buttons on the dash and started his decent toward the grassy flat area close to the harbor. It would be close enough to be able to search for survivors, but far enough back that any explosion wouldn't reach them.

Niko glanced over his shoulder to watch Bernard and Ron get the bird prepared to land before looking back down at the rapidly approaching ship and where the door was open. A slender frame emerged from inside the ship. They firmed their legs and stance, the wind picking up the long blonde braided tail of hair. The person lifted up a large sniper rifle and pointed it his direction, slamming the bolt action forward to load the round into the chamber.

"Fuck! Sniper!" Niko yelled grabbing Jacob and diving back inside the helicopter before a loud bang resounded overhead and the whirling of every alarm on the chopper went off. Smoke started to billow out from the rotator. Fire sparked to life and began to engulf the ceiling above them. The bird started to spin with the loss of the blade function.

"I gotta put her down!" Bernard yelled over the noise adjusting his hold on the control rod. He had landed plenty of damaged aircraft back in his day and this was no different.

"Mayday, mayday! Emergency landing requested on Happiness Island. Do you copy ground tower?" Ron yelled into his headset trying to get ahold of the security team on Happiness Island. The island was closed to tourists at this hour and he figured the security team would be doing their rounds. And there was no way they hadn't been contacted by the all-out war taking place just off their shores.

Niko rolled over to his stomach and ignored the pain that stabbed through him from the bullet wound and shoved up to his hands and knees. He moved over to the opening to see if he could return fire. He grabbed his rifle and rolled the dial of the scope to adjust for the distance and leaned out of the opening as the bird slowed it's spinning and started to drop rapidly to the ground.

His sights landed on Natalya as she lined up for another shot. She must have seen him as she lowered the sniper to flip him off with her middle finger. Then a large fireball erupted from the back of the ship and jerked the whole vessel to an abrupt stop. She flew forward with the inertia and dropped down to a lower deck level. Explosion after explosion rocked the boat as it slowly moved forward into the concrete barriers that surrounded the dock.

The helicopter blades started up long enough for Bernard to touch it down to the ground and flip the engines off, "Everyone get out! This bird is toast!" Bernard undid all the buckles on him and opened his door. Ron followed suit and ran around to the other side to help Bernard get down. He hadn't brought the wheelchair and would try to stand for as long as possible. But he would stay back and make sure the rest of their help got to them in time.

Jacob and Badman helped Niko climb down from the helicopter and together they all moved away from the burning aircraft. They could hear other helicopters overhead circling trying to find a place to land, the LCPD ones turned on their search lights and began hovering over the burning ship, the golden buzzard zipped by them flying low and they had to duck slightly to avoid getting blown over with the wind the blades produced.

Niko turned his sights toward the ship and pulled the last of the medicine out of his pocket and once more flipped the caps open and jabbed them into his other thigh. The drugs charged him up and he dropped the empty needled to the ground. He readied his rifle and took in a full breath of cold air. The familiar chill descended down his spine and he didn't fight it this time. He cracked his neck and took a couple steps forward, waiting for the drugs to numb all his pain before he would hunt down his enemy.

"Wait here while I finish this." Niko let the threat carry in his voice that he was to be left alone and not get in his way. This was his to finish. He didn't stick around to hear his friend's protests and took off in a light jog toward the flames that danced above the trees from the ship that had crashed into the side of the island.

The sky was dark except for the random flash of lightening that would streak across the clouds. The weather matched his mood as he trudged through the trees in search of the crash site. He would start there and find Natalya. His whole body felt numb, but he still had control of his limbs. He knew his time wouldn't last long with the meds and he would crash harder the second go round. If he could just hold out till he killed the bitch and locate Kate, he would pass out happy.

" _Come at me bitch. You ain't nothing but some leftovers. Not fit to sit upon the throne."_ He recognized Darko's taunting in Russian, even if the accent threw him off slightly.

" _The throne is MINE!"_ Natalya screeched back.

"And killing Niko is the answer then? Let her go and let's finish this like we would in the old country." Darko's voice sounded closer and he slowed his approach and crouched down to stay slightly hidden between the trees and shrubs.

"She is my bargaining chip. I saw all the ships and helos. Ain't no way I'm going to walk away from this freely." Niko approached a clearing that was close to the bright flames that had started to work their way across the grass and foliage on the island. He could make out the blonde hair of Natalya and the reddish hair of Kate close to it. Natalya had Kate pressed to her front and was holding her around the neck with her arm, a pistol pointed at Darko who looked worse for wear. He was unsteady on his feet and swayed slightly from side to side.

"You can leave now and get away before anyone discovers us. There is plenty of boats down by the docks. Take the loss for what it is and let Kate go." Darko spoke between labored breaths and started to circle Natalya around in the clearing, forcing her to move to keep him within her sights.

Niko slung his rifle around behind him and pulled one of the knifes from his waistband. He moved into the shadows right around the clearing and waved an old signal he used in the war toward Darko hoping to catch his attention. He watched as Darko's eyes flicked to him before going back to Natalya.

"No. She is coming with me. Why would you betray me like this?! I gave you everything!" She backed up away from Darko as he tried to hedge closer. She struggled against the constant fight Kate was putting up and tightened her hold around her neck.

"You know. I guess I just go around betraying everyone." Darko darted his hand out to the side giving Niko the go ahead signal.

Niko charged forward toward Natalya's back and grabbed her braid and yanked her away from Kate. He jabbed his blade into her side as they tumbled over into the cool grass. She let out a high pitched scream at the pain he inflicted on her. She thrashed around in his hold, landing a solid elbow to his bullet wound forcing him to let go. Darko was on her in a second tackling her away from Niko to try and grab her pistol. He rolled to his knees trying to ignore the overwhelming pain that came from his wound. He could feel a fresh wetness that clung to his shirt and he shoved the feeling to the side.

Darko grabbed her wrist and sat on her chest, slamming her hand down on the ground to get her to release the pistol. She pulled the knife from her side and slammed it into his outer thigh and tried to drag it down his leg before he moved off of her. He rolled to the side and hobbled up to his feet, favoring his new stab wound. He lifted the pistol she had released and dislodged the magazine and pulled the slide back to empty the round in the chamber. He threw the gun to the side and got into a familiar fighting stance.

Niko stumbled to his side and they locked eyes, nodding once to each other before turning their hatred to the female that was trying to destroy everyone's lives. Niko stood a better chance to take Natalya down with Darko's help and wanted to make her _hurt_ for everything that she had put Kate through. What she did to Roman. What she did to the church and everyone that was inside. For what led to Bernie being shot. This would end, but it would end on his terms. His way.

"So what? You two just kiss and make up?" Natalya spit some blood from her lips and lowered into her own fighting stance, "I was trained by the KGB. This won't be easy." Her eyes gleamed in the dancing flames that started to take over the trees on the edge of the clearing.

"What good is a fight if it is easy?" Niko spoke before pulling his other blade from his waistband, " _You want left, or right?"_ He spoke to Darko in Serbian knowing she probably didn't understand their language. It would be their advantage to be able to communicate without their enemy knowing what was being planned or said.

" _Left. Definitely left."_ Darko took off toward her, pushing through the pain in his thigh to start his assault. He yanked his own knife from the holster on his chest and flipped it once in his hand to get the perfect grip. She met his strike with a block of her own.

Niko followed after him and kept his strikes to her right side, working in tandem with his old comrade to land slashes, punches, and kicks to their enemy. He blocked what he could of her, but as she had said, she was reading their moves. He took hold of her right wrist and twisted her arm back and to the side to try and pin it behind her. She leaned forward and flipped, kicking her leg into his face and chest, forcing him to release her and stumble back clutching his nose.

Darko sliced his knife down her open side and destroyed the Velcro straps to her own vest, smirking when he saw blood start to seep through her shirts. He didn’t hesitate to stay on her and went for her throat to be able to pin her down on the ground. She used his momentum to shove him up and over herself as she fell back down to the ground and rolled over her shoulders to stand back up ready to kick at Darko.

Niko grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arm around her neck and effectively locked her into a chokehold. He spun his knife around in his free hand and made to jab it down over her heart. She stomped on his foot and flung her elbow back hitting the area close to his bullet wound several times in rapid succession. The scorching pain from his gunshot wound took away his strength and she kicked his knee out to the side to get out of his hold. He shuffled back and dropped a hand to cover the area beneath his vest. He could feel a trail of blood work its way down into the hem of his pants.

She smirked at him and shook her head mocking him, “The great Niko, reduced to getting beat by lil’ ‘ol me.”

Darko threw his knife from his position on the ground and watched as the blade sank into her upper thigh. The screech of pain that burst from her lips was satisfying. He shifted to his hands and knees and shoved off the ground to get back into a defensive position. He knew the injury he gave her would only anger her more. Her hate filled eyes swung his direction and she never broke eye contact before yanking the blade free from her leg.

“If this is how you two want to fight then fine.” She jerked the other straps of her vest free and let it fall off of her body. She would be able to move more freely and faster without the added weight holding her down. The heavy material thumped to the ground and she shoved it out of her way with her boot.

Niko’s vision was blurring with the combination of blood loss, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and the numbing lull of the morphine. Kate sat on the ground wide eyed, clutching a heavy leather jacket around her frame. She turned his direction and let a tear slide down her cheek, and that’s when he saw the new cut to her beautiful face. A renewed rage developed in his chest and blanketed him in refreshing energy. He charged toward his enemy, twirled the blade in his hand, clutching it tightly, and jabbed it in Natalya’s back, listening to the sickening scraping sound it made when it embedded into the flesh and bones.

She lurched forward slightly with the impact of the knife and felt the wind rush across the clearing. The pain radiated out across her back and caused her fingers to go numb. Liquid formed in her throat and she coughed against it, trying to hack it up to be able to take a deep breath. She spit out what she could and forced herself to turn around fully to look at the man who had stabbed her in the back. He was heavily breathing, but his eyes held no mercy or regret. Death resided in those eyes and she felt sheer terror looking into the depths of his darken irises. ‘ _This is not how it ends!’_

She used what strength she held and grabbed the pistol she could see in his shoulder holster. She took a step back, flipped the safety off, and fired twice into Niko’s chest. He tumbled back from her and collapsed on his back to the slightly damp grass. Her arms shook as set her sights on the female that had screamed out when she shot Niko. The last person she needed to kill before she allowed herself to move on to the next life to be with Lenny and Dimitri.

Darko watched in horror as Niko took two to his bullet proof vest. Niko was too still on the ground and he knew he needed to get up and moving in order to stop Natalya from finishing him off. He wasn’t sure if she knew he had on a vest or not, but he wouldn’t take the chance. What he wasn’t prepared for, was for her to swing the pistol in Kate’s direction. She was unprotected- no vest, no real way to get out of range. His soul cried out to him and he launched off the ground in Kate’s direction.

Niko gasped as the pain kept crashing in waves over his body. He dug deep and pleaded with his body to move. Kate was still in danger and Natalya was still breathing. His mission wasn’t finished. Not yet. Somewhere he found the energy to lean his head up to see where Natalya was. Maybe he could shoot her with the last couple of rounds in his rifle. His arms shook as he attempted to lift the rifle from his side. He squinted his eyes to clearly see what held Natalya’s attention as she was facing slightly away from him. He followed her line of sight and landed on Kate who was huddled on the ground, silently crying, looking up at the pistol that was aimed her direction.

“Niko took _everything_ from me. Now I will take everything from him.” Her hands shook violently as her finger slowly pressed down on the trigger. Her vision was swimming with the tears she had held back for so long after Lenny’s death. She had buried her despair and anguish and lent herself to the all encompassing rage and revenge she wanted for his death. She had come so close so many times and now she could finally give the ones she loved their revenge. To put to rest the heartache she felt every day she woke up.

The gun shot echoed in the clearing and was louder than the crackling fires, the howling wind, the clash of thunder overhead.

Kate slumped back on the grass, her arms sprawling out to her sides, her face turning in Niko’s direction, and slowly her eyes slid closed.

Darko was a hairs width away and froze in place as he stared down at her body. He had moved too late. He wasn’t quick enough, and he turned his cold eyes to the woman who had fired the gun.

Niko felt nothing. It was as if all rational thought escaped him, all his emotions that he kept under lock and key vanished, and slowly he pushed himself into a seated position. The trembling started in his hands, followed by a tightening of his throat. His chest constricted painfully and something damp slid down his face. He blinked at the sensation and lifted a shaky hand to wipe away the feeling. He lifted the wetness on his fingers to see what it was and noticed it was simply a tear. He had not allowed himself to shed a tear since his aunt was killed.

A rage filled shout reverberated around them as Darko charged Natalya, only for five more gunshots to thunder through the trees and grass.

Darko dropped to his knees as blood forced its way from the corners of his lips. His arms were useless to him to try and stop the bleeding from where a bullet had caught him above the collar of his vest. He bowed his head as his vision darkened and the last of his energy leaked out of the bullet holes in his body. Slowly he dropped down in front of Natalya.

Natalya surveyed her work and stumbled back from the bodies on the ground. She had done it. She had _won_. “Finally. I have done it Dimitri. I have avenged you my love. My sweet Lenny.” Her body shook against the stab wounds and the knife that was still impaled in her back.

“You know. Dimitri never once tried to stop me from killing Lenny.” Niko forced his body to get up off the ground. The hollowness he carried with him since digging up his comrades in a random empty field in his homeland consumed him. He felt no pain as he took a step toward the last person he would send off to the afterlife. His rifle was nestled between his hands, deftly weighing down on his shoulder where the strap was strung.

“I shot you.” Natalya retreated a couple of steps toward the dark coverage of trees that had yet to catch fire.

“Funny thing about Kevlar. They tend to stop bullets from handguns.” He took a step forward and aimed his rifle at her heart.

“Go fuck yourself.” She wheezed against the fluid that slowly kept building up in her lungs. Her eyes darted around the clearing and could see flashlights moving around rapidly behind Niko. She would need to get out of there quickly if she wanted to escape with her life.

“You’re not looking too good there, Rascalov. Dimitri sure liked to grovel and beg like the spineless rat he was.” Niko took another step toward her and shoved the buttstock of the rifle into his shoulder to steady his aim. He would not miss this time.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” She screamed as she took off into the tress behind her. She wasn’t as fast with all her injuries, but she could dodge and hide between the thick trees. Maybe get to a decent hiding spot before trying to find a boat or empty helicopter to steal. The lightening overhead flashed brightly illuminating the ground around her. She turned toward the statue and forced her legs to carry her faster.

“That’s right. Run away just like your cousin would.” Niko stalked after her, a slightly limp to his gait, and he flipped over the night vision lens for his scope. Silently he gave chase to his prey.

“Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!” Natalya zigzagged through the trees trying to put as much ground between her and Niko as she could. Her legs were cramping beneath her as she willed herself to keep moving forward. Another flash of lightening brightened the scenery, followed by a booming clap of thunder. A figure stood between the trees she was running toward, and she nearly tripped over her feet trying to turn in a different direction.

“Where ya think your going bitch!” The figure yelled out as they took off after her.

She turned a different direction and nearly ran into someone else, causing her to slam into a tree in her haste to get away. She shoved off the rough bark and hobbled back away from the other person. She missed the log that was laying on the ground and she fell backwards into a brightly lit clearing near the brick base of the Statue of Happiness. She rolled over and scrambled toward the wall, hoping to find some kind of door or entrance. As she shuffled forward on her hands and knees, two shiny black dress shoes came into her sight.

“Well, well, well. Have we learned our lesson now?”

Her frightened blue eyes lifted to meet the cold brown ones of Lenny’s father. She swallowed the blood that filled her mouth and shrank away from him. She twisted around to try and crawl away from him, only to see someone else emerge from the trees.

“If you want someone killed, be sure to do it yourself.” Gerry leaned into the tree next to him and crossed his arms, being sure she caught sight of the pistol in his hand.

“No…” She whispered out hysterically.

“For what it’s worth, you did have us going there for a minute.” Bernard, with the help of Ron, walked into the clearing opposite of Gerry. They both trained their weapons on her, waiting for her to make a move. Little Jacob and Badman flanked their sides to keep her from escaping in their direction.

“Your cousin fucked with the wrong people. The Lost don’t take too kind to being threatened.” Johnny moved up beside Gerry and rested a sawed off shotgun over his shoulder.

“Tony wasn’t a fan of Dimitri either, and you blew up one of Yusuf’s new projects.” Luis and Yusuf emerged a few trees down from where Bernard and Ron stood, both equally looking pissed off and armed to kill.

“And you tried to kill my whole family you fucking bitch!” Packie ran up with Roman and did a double take when he saw Gerry standing in the clearing with everyone. He smiled at seeing him alive and well. Niko had told him he wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t sure about his current status. 

“You are all fools. All of you!” Natalya kept darting her eyes around at everyone who had caged her in to the small clearing on Happiness Island, beneath the statue that graced the island.

“That is no way to talk to someone above your station!” Kenny frowned and took the offered pistol from one of his bodyguards, “You tried to usurp me and take control of my empire. You know the penalty for this is death.” He pulled the slide back to load a round into the chamber.

“You see Natalya? No one has your back. There is no where for you to run or hide anymore. You could have left me alone- avoided all of this.” Niko limped into the final place of the circle of people and scowled at the person who had ruined every good thing he had going.

“You shouldn’t have killed Lenny.” She whispered as a tear slid down her cheek. She turned her angry eyes to Lenny’s father and felt the burn of rejection all the way down to her toes, “You would dare let the man who killed your son, kill the love of his life?”

“You were dead to me the second you went against my orders.” Kenny held no remorse for the female that was slowly bleeding out on the grass in front of him. He glanced up to meet Niko’s eyes and nodded his head. They would not fire at her and give Niko the final blow.

“What the fuck did Kate ever do to you!” Niko yelled to her once Kenny had given him the official permission to end her life. He wanted to know this one thing before putting a bullet through her head.

“I wanted you- I wanted you to suffer like I have. Worse than what I’ve been dealing with. You killed Lenny, and if that wasn’t enough, you went and killed Dimitri!” Her words grew in strength as she spoke and finished by yelling out her cousin’s name.

“I suffer more than you could ever fathom. Go join your cousin in hell.” He aimed to the spot between her eyes and watched as a rather peaceful expression fell over her features.

“I will see you soon Dimitri.”

Niko pulled the trigger and lowered the assault rifle as her body crumpled down into the grass. Something cold and wet landed on his nose and he glanced upwards to see snow flurries softly falling from the sky. Again, no finality settled into his body. No accomplishment shifted into his soul. He felt more hollow than he did before coming to Liberty City. His body gave up on keeping him upright and he sank down to his knees. The strap of the rifle slipped from his shoulder and dropped to the ground at his side.

‘ _Is this what failure feels like?’_ He slid his eyes closed and slumped down on his claves.

“Cousin!” Roman exclaimed when Niko dropped down to his knees after killing their enemy, “You did it!”

“Really?” Niko muttered tiredly as everything began to hurt intensely. The morphine was working harder to dull every single injury he carried, while the adrenaline pumped his blood, letting more of the precious life force slip from the open wounds on his body. He wanted to feel something, _anything_ , but no emotion came forth to comfort him or feed him energy. Everything was darkening before his eyes as the snow continued to dance around them. “I don’t know. What did I do?”

“We’re done! We are free! We won, man. We won!” Roman moved over to his cousin to help haul him to his feet. He felt light, happy, and was ready to burst at the seams, till he noticed all the blood on Niko and how shallowly he was breathing. “Shit! Call for help!” He turned toward the gathered crowd of people hoping someone would find the medical team and get them to his cousin quickly.

Niko dropped forward to his hands and felt his heart lurch as finally the pain of Kate’s death crashed through him. He hadn’t won. He had lost. And not just lost in the sense of losing a battle, war, score- _lost the one person he should have saved._

‘ _I’m so sorry Kate. I failed to protect you. Forgive me…’_ He lowered himself to the ground as his body started to crash from the drugs and fighting he had been put through.

“So, this is what the dream feels like, this is the victory we longed for…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N): There will be one more chapter. Do not give up on this yet please.
> 
> I know I said I was going to get this out before Christmas, but my father passed away unexpectedly on the 21st of December and I just couldn’t bring myself to finish editing this chapter till I could get past my own grief. And as you can see, this was a heavy chapter to begin with, without my own feelings getting in the way.
> 
> The next chapter will be the final chapter of “The Price We Pay” and will be a lot less dark. Promise. Till then! One Love!
> 
> Oh! And Happy New Year! I will see y’all in 2021 with the exciting and final conclusion of this long journey.


	13. If The Price Is Right

There was a faint melody that slowly faded in and out, and it sluggishly tried to stir his thoughts toward consciousness. He struggled against it, wanting to stay floating in the darkness around him. There was no pain here. There were no feelings fighting for dominance, emotions to be deciphered, and no reason to give in to the hollowness that surrounded him. It was a never ending limbo that caressed him. It was where he would stay- where he _wanted_ to stay.

The crinkle of paper was louder than the soft piano and it forced his brain to reboot. Things moved slowly for him, slower than they had when he was stuck in old memories of a war long passed. The firmness of the surface he rested against, had some give to it, and wasn’t as harsh as the ground should’ve been. It was a confusing sensation and his body lightly shifted against it trying to figure out where he was laying.

He flexed his fingers and felt the slight pressure of a clamp of some sort on his index finger. There was rough edge of something plastic that scraped against his wrist that slid around on his arm when he rolled his joint. He forced his feet to wiggle and felt the weight of a blanket crumple around them. The next thing to come back to him was the sound of soft jazz music playing and it was a soothing, lighthearted tune, and did nothing to stop the train wreck of emotions from wanting to derail him. 

Guilt was the first to force its way through his soul. So much guilt. He should never have gotten close to her. He should have listened to Packie and Gerry’s warnings. He should have headed the cautionary signals that had kept him distant to begin with. But seeing how happy Roman was with Mallorie, knowing Bernie had found someone, and even hearing stories from Jacob about his girlfriend- it caused him to yearn for that something extra in life. Michelle, _Karen_ , had been a distraction. Which led to worse events. But he had gotten a taste of what a relationship was like.

The thought of Bernie sent the second wave of remorse through him.

He did not deserve to die for his problems. Bernie had wholesomely joined in the fight without a second thought and had even befriended Kate. He had gained back a friendship that had carried him through the war. Only to watch it get shot to hell for his own carelessness. The heartrate monitor beeping overtook the soft music playing in the background and he could hear how quick his heartrate was accelerating.

He sucked in a slow, long breath to try and calm his racing heart, and smelt flowers. Lots of them by the intensity of the fragrance. It was pleasant and nothing like the burning foliage on Happiness Island. His mind tried to turn over the events after watching Kate fall back to the ground. He had let his last reserves of energy carry him through the trees to where he could hear people taunting Natalya. He had come across her in a new clearing by the base of the statue. Kenny, Gerry, Johnny, Packie, Roman, Bernard, Ron, Jacob, Badman, and a couple of other people he didn’t recognize had her blocked in. He had been the final person to cage her in. The last nail in the coffin. 

Kenny had given him the chance to put an end to everything, and he didn’t hesitate to shoot. Maybe if he had been more resilient toward Faustin, things would have turned out differently. But it was beyond too late for those thoughts and what ifs. He had watched her life get snuffed out instantly when the bullet from his rifle went through her skull. He hardly registered Roman talking to him about winning and succeeding. He hadn’t done any of that… Except for maybe getting the revenge that coursed through him, leaving behind a vast void.

_“We’re done! We are free! We won, man. We won!”_

Roman’s words echoed around in his mind and he turned his head to try and avoid hearing them again and again. His cheek brushed against a soft, cool, and plush surface and he cracked his eyes open to see what was trying to provide him with comfort. His sight was extremely blurry, and the brightness of his surroundings burned his eyes. He closed them against the brilliant sunshine that poured into the room. His eyelids did nothing to prevent the light from waking up the rest of his tired body, mind, and spirit. He wanted to groan at how his surroundings were trying to lift his sour mood, when all he wanted to do was wallow in the darkness.

The sound of paper being folded and dropped onto a solid surface caused his eyes to slowly open again. If he wasn’t alone, he had better find out who was with him, and where exactly he was at. The last time he had come to, Kenny had been sitting dangerously close by, and he was not in the best of moods to deal with him again. His brain jumped to the conclusion of a hospital room; what with all the machine noises, heart rate monitor, the stiffness of the sheets that pressed against him, and the overall brightness of the place. He blinked several times to get his eyes to focus on what was right in front of him.

He could make out a faux leather couch/ futon that rested underneath the uncovered glass window. The sky was bright blue and not a cloud was in sight. There was a small amount of frost that lined the corners and edges of the thick panned glass. The sunshine hurt to look at for too long and he dropped his attention back to the couch. A pillow, folded blankets, and a faded, old leather jacket rested on the surface. He recognized it as one of his own. The one he had worn the night he had rescued Kate from the Albanian’s that broke into the McReary home.

His eyes threatened to water the longer he stared at the article of clothing. He would need to start shoving everything down inside himself if he were going to function around other people. He had figured out how to disassociate himself after his Aunt’s death, and he would do it again with Kate’s passing. He would not let anyone know how much he was hurting. That was something he would allow himself to indulge in to when he was alone. And preferably with a good bottle of vodka close by.

He took in another long breath to force the guilt away from him and decided that he would need to figure out how to call a nurse to his room. A headache was forming behind his eyes and it was irritating to say the least. He let his eyes roam from the couch toward the foot of his bed, turning his head with the motion. As his head was partially tilted away from the couch, he noticed a figure was sitting in the recliner. They tilted their head to the side slightly, and uncrossed their arms, as they realized he was staring at them. He had to squint against the brightness from the window to make out who was in the room with him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust before he recognized who was there.

“Well sleepy head, it’s about time you rejoined the living!” Bernie smiled broadly and dropped his leg from his lap, letting both feet plant firmly on the tiled floor of the hospital. His smile was practically its own light source with how he beamed at him.

“I’m dead, aren’t I? This is some kind of limbo gateway to hell, right?” Niko spoke out against the dryness in his throat. He started to cough when his vocal cords constricted from the use.

“I sure as hell hope not. Because I wouldn’t be caught dead in this dreadful outfit for the rest of eternity!” Bernie huffed out, shoving out of his chair to walk over to a tray table next to Niko’s bed. He lifted a thick plastic mug that had a bendy straw sticking out of it and held it out for Niko to take a couple of sips. “Honestly. Blah gray sweats are not doing me any favors!” He looked down at the lightweight gray sweatshirt and sweatpants and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

Niko swallowed several large gulps of the cold water before leaning back into the pillow, “I. I don’t understand. I thought…? _Florian_?” His eyes were definitely playing tricks on him. This couldn’t be real. ‘ _I’m hallucinating. Have to be…’_

“Bernie.” He rolled his eyes before giving him a slightly hurt and hard look. This was going to be a difficult conversation to get through, and he knew he probably only had a few moments before they were interrupted. He let out a soundless sigh and waited for Niko to decide if he was done with the water. When Niko didn’t try to take another sip, he moved the cup back from his friend.

“You thought me gone? Niks! Come on now. I was shot far worse in the ambush.” Bernie set the cup aside and lowered down to the edge of Niko’s hospital bed. He sighed heavily, letting his body release some of the tension from his shoulders, and let his expression drop. It really was too close of a call. He reached out and lightly patted Niko’s hand, “But if I’m being honest. I thought that was it. I had made peace with my demons and said my goodbyes. I had saved my best friend and figured I had at least done something good with my life.” His lips quirked into a half smile before fading away, not daring to meet the eyes of Niko.

“How?” Niko only blankly looked at him before it clicked in his mind. Only the real Bernie would correct him. In his mind, he was always Florian, and he was having a hard time believing what was right in front of him. Bernie’s hand was warm where it rested over his own and he turned his palm up to be able to grasp at it. He could feel the strong heartbeat beneath his fingertips. He watched his friend’s chest rise and fall with each breath he took. Could see the way his eyes shifted everywhere but to his face. He was paler than normal, but he wasn’t cold. ‘ _He’s real. He is here- alive. He. He made it!’_

“I died twice on the table. At least that’s what the doctor told me. I lost a lot of blood.” Bernie used his other hand to lift up his sweatshirt to reveal a large, almost healed scar along his side where he had taken a bullet. There were several other stitched up scars on his chest, but they looked to be in the final stages of healing. Not like they had just happened. He released the cloth fabric and finally mustered the courage to look to Niko’s face. “Help had arrived just in time for me. I just kept holding on knowing that our mission wasn’t finished. I needed to get back out there to help you…” Bernie’s eyes watered, and he looked back down to their hands, wiping away the few tears that tried to escape down his cheeks.

“It was my fault Bernie. I wasn’t paying attention. You almost died because of me. I’m- I’m sorry.” Niko tightened his hold on Bernie’s wrist and kept trying to focus on the heartbeat he could feel there. His friend was alive, breathing, and sitting before him looking better than what he was expecting. His eyebrows knitted together as he realized how healed over his wounds were, “What day is it?” He couldn’t be sure, but something felt very off to him now.

“It’s November first Niko. You’ve been out for three weeks. And by the thickness of your facial hair, I’d say it was a lot longer.” Bernie teased, smiling slightly as he glanced up at the thicker scruff of his friend’s face, “Although if I’m going by your hair growth then it’s more like a month and a half.” He scrunched up his face and let out a small chuckle, “I am _more_ than happy to get that situation under control.” This time he let himself fully laugh.

Niko lifted his other hand, noticing the heart rate monitor clamped to his index finger, and ran his hand over the fuller, longer hair on the top of his head. His mind was reeling with how much time had passed. How badly was he injured? He could remember the one bullet that managed to get through his vest, but the two to the chest shouldn’t’ve broken through. The drugs he took couldn’t have led to more complications unless he really did almost bleed out. But still… That was so much time to be under. His frown deepened as his thoughts started to spiral further out of control.

‘ _Three weeks… Kate has been gone three weeks and I haven’t been there for Packie, Gerry, or Francis. They must all be so torn apart. Or ready to kill me. Maybe they left me here to die. Wouldn’t blame them…’_

“It’s okay. I’ll get you allllllll cleaned up in no time.” Bernie slightly sang his words and Niko could almost see the gleeful expression blooming behind his eyes.

“Flori-”

“Bernie.”

“ _Bernie_! There are things that are more important than just my lack of shaving and trimming my hair-”

The door handle jiggled a few times before it finally gave way, “Hey Bernie? They didn’t have your favorite tea restocked, so I made you coff…ee…” Kate pushed the door open with her back, carrying two steaming styrofoam cups of coffee and froze when her eyes landed on where Bernie was sitting. Niko and Bernie both were staring at her; Bernie’s face was slowly forming into a rather mischievous smirk, while Niko just looked like he had met her for the first time. The door hit her shoulder when it tried to close, and she leaned forward to let it slide behind her to close with an audible click.

“You were saying Niko?” Bernie fought to keep the laugh from bubbling to the surface. He had hoped she would get back before Niko got around to asking him about her. It was better this way, and way more amusing to see. He glanced back down to his friend and saw he hadn’t let his sights move from Kate. The tightening on his wrist was slightly concerning and he squeezed his hand back to let him know it was okay. That what he was seeing was real.

Bernie patted the hand that firmly gripped his wrist with his other hand, “I’ll give you two lovebirds a minute.” He had to pry Niko’s fingers loose from his wrist. Carefully he sat up from the edge of the hospital bed and walked over to where Kate was frozen in place. He clasped the cup that was his and placed a kiss to her cheek, “Coffee is great. Though I’m sure the nurse is going to yell their head off at me about my caffeine intake during physical therapy today.” He took a small sip and hummed at the way Kate knew how to make his coffee, ”Worth it!”

Kate jumped with the kiss to her cheek and slightly came out of her daze. She nodded at Bernie and almost stumbled over her feet as he nudged her further into the room. Her heart was hammering away in her chest, her stomach pitched and rolled, and her mind went uselessly blank on her. She couldn’t take her eyes away from his, the beautifully dark brown that was slowly turning guarded under her stare.

“Do remember dear that he just woke up and is still in an injured state.” Bernie pinched her side and laughed heartily when she sent him a scathing glare and swatted at his hand playfully. He turned his gleeful eyes toward his comrade, his brother in arms, his protector, his best friend, “ _I’ll keep the nurse from barging in. Say what needs to be said. Three weeks is a long time to wait to be held. Just don’t do anything too embarrassing. I give it fifteen minutes top before one of her brother’s come to check in on her. And, of course, to check in on you too. Then again fifteen minutes should be just the right amount of time to get out some pent-up urges-”_

“Florian!”

“Bernie!”

“Okay, okay! Geez. Just trying to help.” Bernie smiled at his two friends and opened the door, exiting quickly, pulling the door closed behind him.

The silence was only broken by the soft jazz music that was coming from a portable speaker on the surface of a cabinet. Kate picked at the styrofoam of her cup with her fingernails. She had counted every second that had passed since she woke up in her own hospital room to be able to see Niko again. Even if her body was tired, worn out, and wanted to drag her back into peaceful sleep- she forced herself to wake up every day. She refused to stay in bed and had attempted several times to slip out in the middle of the night to locate his room.

God love her brothers, Packie was the only one who seemed to understand her incessant need to see Niko. He had stolen a wheelchair from an adjacent room and helped sneak her down the various halls to get into Niko’s room. She must have fallen asleep crying against his shoulder because the next morning she woke up back in her own hospital bed. It took a lot of convincing of the nurses and doctors and eventually came down to the IAA agent forcing them to give her an hour a day in Niko’s room till she could be discharged on her own.

And now that she was standing before him, of her own volition, cleared medically, she felt glued to the spot.

Niko was at a complete loss. There she was standing before him, cheeks flushed and mostly healed, hair loosely pulled back into her typical ponytail. He tried to produce the right words, but what does one say to someone who they thought died? He had seen Natalya shoot her. From a distance sure, but she had gone limp from the gunshot. Regret stabbed through him as he realized he hadn’t once tried to render aid or check on her after she was shot. He had just gone on autopilot and chased after Natalya. Maybe he would have been spared the soul crushing guilt if he had simply dropped down next to her to check on her injuries, and let the others handle Natalya. ‘ _Darko had at least tried to take a bullet for her…’_

But his rage, his _revenge_ , kept him from going to Kate and forced him in the direction of his enemy.

He could hit himself right now. What kind of person abandons the one they love to go after their supposed murderer? He felt every thin thread of hope start to unravel. She would’ve known if he went to her. What if she thought he chose revenge over her? What if she didn’t want to walk over and drop into his arms? What if the trust they had formed between them was shattered simply because he turned his back on her and took off to hunt down his prey? Revenge over life. Staying the course over moving on. He kept replacing things he’d done in his life and tried to image how much he hurt her by doing those things over leaving it all behind to be with her.

He watched as she minutely fidgeted under his gaze. He tried to convey all of his emotions, lack of words, and hope in his eyes to her. He was grasping at frayed ends, desperately trying to fuse them back together, to get back what he had- what they were building. He refused to admit that she would walk away. Or could walk away. He had given his all to save her and he had been helpless as the gun fired at her. He truly had given it all to get her back. So had his friends, and that had to count for something. Mean something more. While their relationship had been fairly new, he could’ve sworn it was as strong as one that had been going for a lifetime. 

When his words kept failing him, his soul fracturing the longer the silence grew between them, he lifted his hand, and held it out for her to take. He would leave it in her hands to see if he were redeemable in her eyes. Was worth another chance. He would grab hold and never let go. He would leave the life of crime behind. He’d hang up the rifle. He would give it all up just to have her take his hand.

“Oh _Niko_!” Kate reached behind her and set the cup down next to the speaker and swiftly moved to the side of the bed where his hand trembled in midair. She moved his arm to the side and collapsed down into his chest, burying her face into her favorite place. She forced her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. The extra scratch from his scruff rubbed her forehead raw as she continued to nuzzle into the crook of his neck and collarbone. There was no place in the entire universe she would rather be, than right here.

Niko slid his eyes closed as she moved into his arms. He dug deep to find the strength to hold her tightly to his chest. He ignored the pain that shot through his sides, arms, legs, and chest. He had her back in his arms and he would not be letting her go anytime soon. He bunched his fingers into the soft fabric of the sweater she wore and tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. Slowly he dropped his cheek to the top of her head, returning the intense nuzzling she was doing. He could feel the sobs that shook her shoulders more than he could hear them and he scooted down the bed slightly to force her to look up to him.

She lifted off of him just enough to allow him to get more comfortable before she crashed her lips to his, closing her eyes to surrender to her need to feel him. _Three weeks_ had built up this overwhelming need to just be held. To feel his arms settle around her shoulders or waist. Packie had given her several hugs, and even allowed her to cry on his shoulder one night when the nightmares started up. Bernie had let her snuggle into his side on the couch as they both kept a silent vigil over Niko that second week. Mallorie held her hand as they talked over baby names and themes for a baby shower. Roman kissed the top of her head and forehead when he could tell she was struggling. But nothing- _nothing_ could satisfy her need to be held by Niko.

He let his hands drag over the fuzzy material of her sweater to pull her in closer. He slid his hand across her lower back and slipped under the hem of her top to feel the soft skin against the tips of his fingers. His other hand threaded into her hair beneath the ponytail and cupped her head. He returned the kiss with as much enthusiasm as she poured into him. He could feel his lungs burning with the lack of oxygen he was breathing in, but he wouldn’t let up, not yet. He tilted his head and let the kiss deepen, hoping his actions would speak louder than any measly word in a second or third language would do.

The scratch against her cheeks and chin was new, as he had always kept his facial hair trimmed and short. But she ignored the burn of it and followed his lead hoping that he had missed this as much as her. Her heart clenched against the way her body was getting worked up. She was still injured in her own right and she would need to slow down soon, or pass out, which ever came first. His fingers brushed along her skin and ignited the yearning that she tucked down deep into the recesses of her mind. Her subconscious took control and she partially jolted against him as the warmth spread to every single cell in her body.

He could feel his own body wanting to react in ways that would do more damage than bring him pleasure. And he lessened the pressure of his kissing, trying to slow them from tumbling over the edge they were rapidly approaching. He dragged his hand up her back to cup her cheek, slipping his other free from her beautiful hair, to get her to focus those eyes he loved to him. Her eyes fluttered open with his instruction and he could see the slight clouding to her irises before it cleared away. 

Her cheek was no longer bruised, and there was only a very faint line where the cut had been. He trailed his finger with the heart rate monitor clip over the line wishing it had never graced her skin. He watched as she licked her lips, and he mimicked the gesture. His eyes lowered to her neck to see that the red lines and finger marks had vanished. The black button down sweater was done up to the base of her neck and he frowned at not getting to see more of her. He leaned up off the bed to kiss the pulse point he could see, grateful to see her alive and well.

She couldn’t stop the breathy moan even if she wanted to when his lips landed on her neck, “Niko. I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought I lost you. She shot you twice at point blank range.” Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit down on it to keep her resolve together. She could talk about this. She had spoken at length with Bernie and Roman about things. Had given several official statements to the IAA, FIB, LCPD, and left certain parts out- more like a certain someone. Parts that she wished she could have talked to Niko about first before having her words go on record. The man she had met at dinner so many weeks ago at Jerkov’s had spoken to her privately and listened to every single detail, letting her know that it was okay to omit things. He would fill in where he could.

“I thought I lost _you_. You- I watched you as you were shot.” Niko shifted under her weight as things started to hurt worse against the pressure. He lightly dragged his hands down from her cheeks to her back, fisting into the soft material. He couldn’t make up his mind on whether this was some kind of lucid dream or if he was really awake. He had started to accept his failure and loss, then she walked into the room and took the air right from his lungs.

Kate lifted off of him and tucked herself into his side, letting him take in a full breath, “I’m not really sure what happened. I felt this horrible amount of pain that I had never felt before in my life. I thought that was it. I guess I fainted from all the pain I was in?” She mused. Things were still kind of hazy from that night. She pushed up from his side, holding her weight on her good arm, and undid a couple of buttons on her sweater. The fabric slipped down her shoulder and revealed a large bruise that covered the entire area over her heart. The bite mark was nothing but a couple of thin scars, having healed over the weeks since first being inflicted.

Niko ran the tips of his fingers over the area gently, studying the way the bruise was shaped and how there was a bullet scar below the indention of her collarbone. He couldn’t figure out how the bullet hadn’t gone right through to her heart, killing her instantly. “Did you have anything under the jacket?” He could guess that maybe Darko had put a bullet proof vest on her. Or had maybe thrown Natalya’s aim off as he went to intercept the bullet.

“The man who helped me escape- He left a pistol in the inside breast pocket of his jacket. I remember feeling the weight of it against my chest the whole time we worked our way out of the ship.” She slid off the bed and walked around it to the couch under the window. She lifted the blue duffle bag that she had brought from Niko’s apartment from the floor and shifted a few things around inside before pulling a pistol free from the contents of her overnight bag. “It’s all I have left of him. I never got his name. Your friend said the only fingerprints he could lift from the handle was mine, and a partial print that got no hits in whatever system they use.” She held the pistol out for Niko to take.

He knew the instant the pistol came into view that it was Darko’s service commissioned sidearm from their time in the war. It was the right make, model, and even showed wear and tear that would have come from continually holstering it and firing. He took the pistol from her hand and turned it over a couple of times, looking for the simple inscription he had put there. The faint, boxy, slanted letters greeted him along the barrel, and he felt a ghost of a smile try to lift the corners of his lips. His own pistol had the same message, and he kept that pistol tucked away in his Middle Park apartment. He turned it over in his hand and noticed some damage. One of the sides of the handle had gouge marks that had scraped off a good portion of metal. He held his free hand out to her and tugged her closer when she placed her hand down into his. She sat down in the place that Bernie had earlier, and he held the pistol up to the bruise.

“If it was in the pocket when you were shot. There is a chance this pistol took the brunt of the hit before the bullet entered you here.” He grazed over the slightly puckered skin where he assumed the bullet had torn through her. He could only shake his head slightly at his rather dumb luck. He hadn’t loaded full metal jacket rounds or hollow points in the pistols in his haste to get out of Playboy X’s apartment. They were just the standard issued nine millimeter rounds that had been left in the apartment after he acquired it. If it had been any other type of ammunition, it would have done more damage. Possibly killing her instead of injuring her.

“I had never removed it. He did a rather good job of killing everyone that came for me.” She glanced away from him and tried to keep the shudder to a minimum. He had been violent, ruthless, and cold. But when he turned his attention her direction, he would try to be softer. He had tried to keep a conversation going with her about her life in between stabbing, shooting, and beating people up. It had done the trick and kept her from completely freaking out as they worked their way to the control room. For some reason she couldn’t bring herself to speak of him to Bernie. Or anyone for that matter. The IAA agent had warned her to keep things to herself till the investigation was completed.

“Darko would. He swore on his life once before to me. I guess he decided to fulfill at least one promise in his life.” He rubbed back and forth over the bullet scar with his finger and lowered the pistol to the top of the crumbled sheets. He still felt a blinding rage toward the man, but it was lessening as more information kept coming to light. He would never be able to forgive him for getting all of their friends killed, but maybe he could come to terms with the fact that he had saved Kate’s life- when he had been unable to.

“Wait. The man who- The man who… tried to, tried to…” She had lost the ability to form coherent words or thoughts with the name Niko had spoken. She recalled how upset and distraught Bernie was over the person named Darko. How Niko was ashamed slightly for letting him go when they confronted one another. Another rather daunting thought crossed her mind. ‘ _If Niko had killed him before all this… then perhaps I would not be sitting here.’_

The kindness, softness, and concern for her flashed across her memory. There was no way that this was the same person Niko and Bernie spoke of at dinner. The man who had violently killed the one attacking her couldn’t possibly be capable of coming to her rescue if he was the one who hated Niko and Bernie. He would surely know who she was to Niko. It wasn’t adding up to her.

She let her confusion show as she grabbed Niko’s hand. The light touch to her collarbone was distracting her from trying to put two and two together. “Darko- He is the one who betrayed you and Bernie?” She would start to piece it all together and hopefully be able to get the full picture. There had to be some kind of redemption in the man who had turned his back on his friends.

“Yes. He sold us out to the enemy forces for a thousand dollars to get his hands on some drugs.” Niko watched the emotions and thoughts flick across her features rapidly- disbelief, anger, horror, a ghost of a smile, back to a rather pained look. He didn’t like the thought of them two being alone, with only Darko there as her defense against the Albanians, Russians, and Natalya. But he had been powerless and had no other card to play. A sickening thought crossed his mind as he tried to piece the words she had said to what his imagination was producing. “Did he touch you or harm you in any way?” His voice dropped and his accent thickened as his anger renewed toward Darko. ‘ _I’ll find him and take my time tearing him to pieces…’_

“Niko. It’s… There is no way that was the same person.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to recall every single moment she had been in his presence. How could someone go from such hatred, selling his unit out, to keeping her alive? ‘ _He had been so gentle toward me. What happened?!’_

“Did. He. Touch. You?” He didn’t raise his voice, but he needed her answer. His heartrate monitor beeped loudly at the increase in blood pressure and heartrate.

“Not in a way that would cause harm or was intended to be wrong.” She winced at her words knowing it didn’t give him the answer he was seeking. Her attacking him and him subduing her came to the forefront of her mind and she stiffened at the memories.

“Kate. I’m not mad at you. He has no right to touch you. He knows how I feel. He knew before he went off toward the yacht.” He was going to kill him. There was no way he was going to let him go free with how Kate was reacting next to him. There were _rules_ they had. All of the people he grew up with knew better than to flirt or hit on some other dude’s girl. They just didn’t do it. And with how Darko seemed to understand how high up Kate was on his list of people in his life, he should have respected it.

“It’s not what you think. I attacked him when I came to at the warehouse. He. Um. Well.” She gulped at the murderous look Niko was starting to sport, “I was stupid for trying to _kill him._ ” She whispered out the words and felt silly for attempting to tackle him to the mattress and getting the chain around his throat. She had no idea where she would’ve gone with it. It’s not like she could have stomached killing someone. And to choke them out? Shame flooded her over tired system and the tears formed on their own.

“Katie.” Niko whispered out and tugged her back down to him. She crumpled down on the hospital bed next to him, immediately tucking her face into his neck and throat. “You did what you thought was needed. You had been kidnapped, knocked unconscious, and were in a strange place. I am so incredibly sorry for letting any of it happen.” The thought of her trying to kill Darko was part amusing and part terrifying. He knew how skilled Darko was, had fought him rather extensively in the halls of the warehouse, and sided with him to fight Natalya. Kate stood no chance of taking him out. His arms tightened around her.

“Francis- I woke up in the basement of the church to Francis trying to push my shoulder back into place. We were going to try to find a way out of there when two men barged into the room. They shot him and released some kind of gas into the room. I remember going for the gun Frankie dropped before passing out. Next thing I know I’m chained to a wall in some kind of office laying on an old, dirty mattress.” The floodgates were open now. She had spared her brothers from talking about what happened. The only person who knew any details was the man high up in the IAA. And he had been rather forceful in getting her to talk about it. Saying she needed to start processing it all.

“He was sitting there in the room wearing a motorcycle helmet. He offered me water. After Packie getting poisoned I was _not_ about to take something from those holding me captive. But he drank some of it and threw it in my direction. I was distracted drinking the water when he got close to me. I think he noticed the bruise on my cheek because he touched it. I freaked. Probably not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. But I shoved him away and pushed him down on the mattress and worked to get the chain around his neck that held me to the wall.”

Niko stilled his hands that had started to rub soothing patterns along her arm and back. He couldn’t believe she had gone on the offensive. He had a small bit of pride swell up in his chest at her strength to try and attack someone. But he also felt a chill descend his spine. He could already picture how he would’ve gotten out of the attack. Grab the wrist or arm that held the chain, either break it or twist it to get them into a lock, roll over to pin the person, and then pick the point of weakness- throat, chest, soft tissue of the stomach. He sometimes hated the way his mind worked, but it had kept him alive for this long, and maybe he could show her some simple self-defense moves.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I image he didn’t take to well to being attacked.” He could only hope Darko had been gentle and not vicious.

“He was- I don’t know. He flipped us over and pinned me to the mattress. I froze. I was stuck back in my bedroom, wishing for you to break down my door. He was on me in the same way the other man was.” Her voice shook with her words and she sniffed slightly against the tears that slowly tumbled from her eyes. She fisted her hands into the hospital gown on Niko and sucked in a deep breath. She was safe and back in Niko’s arms. No one would get her there.

“I’ll kill him.” He knew exactly what she was talking about. He hadn’t been able to scrub the sight of her pinned to her bed with the man on top of her from his mind. It haunted him and kept him from letting go of some of his anger. It was a constant reminder of how he had failed and been careless with who he was seen with out in public. She had paid the price for being with him.

“Niko. He. I think he knew? Because he got off of me rather quickly.” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him how Darko and held her hands or dropped his helmet to her forehead. It was too intimate and something she knew Niko wouldn’t handle very well. She would bury it deep down and not let it out to anyone. Call it irrational, but she feared how he would react to her if he knew she had held his hands back. How she had let her mind slip and believe it was Niko for a second that was with her. How her mind tried to take her to a happier place.

“It’s not right.” He felt the tightening of his muscles and the burn that coursed through his veins. But he needed to calm down and get past it for now. This clearly happened before he had a chance to confront Darko in the hallway.

“No. But he never once hit me. He didn’t try to attack me back. He left me there in the room. Roman was brought in sometime later.” She shifted against him to get more comfortable, slipping her arm to rest over his stomach to pick at the scratchy blanket that covered him.

“Roman didn’t look too good. They did a number on him.” Niko leaned his cheek on the top of her head. He was piecing the timeline together in his mind, he must have just left the hospital or was at his safehouse in Northwood around this time. He berated himself for letting himself get injured and knocked unconscious during the fight in the graveyard. Which brought up his memories of Karen, Francis, Bernie, and Jacob, and everything that took place before getting outside the church. So many people had been shot, hurt, attacked. All because of him.

“I don’t think Darko hit him. Rebecca, well Natalya, did for sure. She was rather violent for someone so small. I made the mistake of talking down to her. I don’t think the scar will fade on my face.” She absently rubbed along her cheek where the scar rested. She couldn’t feel it, but knew where it was, the fantom pain came and went when she would think about the backhand.

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t really know what else to say to make it right. Kate had suffered too much, and he swore to himself that he would make sure she would never have to feel pain again.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know she was running the whole show. I did however put her in her place.” She let out a shallow chuckle as her words bounced around in her head.

“I can only imagine how angry it made her.” He scooted over to give her more room and to pull his arm out from between them so he could wrap it around her shoulders. He would be patient and listen to whatever she wanted to get off her chest. They had three weeks of catching up to do, and he wanted to let her know his side of things too. How he had fought so hard to find her. How he had left the hospital on his own to come to her rescue. How he didn’t give up or stop trying. He needed her to know that he was always going to find her and come to her aid.

“You could say that again. But Darko was there to keep her from doing anything worse. He got her out of the room. I don’t know what was said. They were speaking some other language. But he helped me clean my wound. That’s when I first noticed the tattoo. I didn’t get a good look at it, otherwise it might have blown his cover sooner.” Kate turned to her side and ran her fingers over the tattoo on Niko’s arm.

“It’s how he let me know who he was before we killed the other man holding Roman hostage.” It had been a shock to see it after all these years. He glanced down to where Kate stroked over his matching tattoo. It had been on a whim that they had all decided to mark each other that fateful evening in the middle of nowhere back home. Drunk, celebrating their small victory, and someone yelled out that it required a permanent moniker.

“Things got kind of hectic after that. I think you must have shown up because a bunch of people rushed into the room and started trying to get us into different handcuffs. Roman and I put up a decent struggle before someone fired off a shot. Everything went dark for me after it rang out.” She had reached the point where things got difficult to think about. She hadn’t been able to process all the blood, dead bodies, and violent nature that Darko had displayed as they fought their way to the command room. She didn’t want to keep comparing him to Niko and vice versa. She knew Niko was skilled and could dispatch people like it was nothing- had seen it at Derrick’s funeral. But to be close and have a front row seat was hard to stomach.

A knock came at the door before it swung open. Packie poked his head around the wall and smiled broadly at seeing his sister and friend all cuddled up on the bed, “Well heelllllooooo there! Was just checking in on my lovely sister, and what to my surprise do I see? She’s back on the bed! At least this time you’re awake man.” He let out a chuckle and walked into the room, happy to see his friend awake, even if it looked like his sister had been crying.

“Patrick _shut up_!” Kate shrieked out, now full embarrassed that he had let it slip that she had spent a few nights curled up on the bed next to Niko. She made to move off the bed when Niko firmed his grip on her and pulled her back down next to him. She leaned up just enough to be able to see what the problem was.

“Packie, have you met my girlfriend?” Niko smirked at the way Packie slightly shifted awkwardly on his feet and scratched the back of his head trying to avoid looking at the two on the bed. “She is where she wants to be, where I want her to be.”

“Awww!” Kate felt the smile spread on her face and she kissed his cheek with the way his words made her feel, “But maybe I should go check on Bernie? He should be in physical therapy now. And sometimes he skips if he isn’t forced into the room.” She placed another kiss to his cheek and watched as his eyes shifted to her. She could somewhat see the hidden plea to not leave his side, but he buried it well.

“Bernie would skip out. He hated working out and doing drills.” Niko muttered quietly. He didn’t want her to leave just yet, but with the way Packie was acting, maybe there was something that needed to be said between them. He leaned forward and kissed her lips trying to let her know to hurry. He wasn’t sure what Packie wanted to talk about, but he prayed it wasn’t one subject in particular.

Kate kissed him back and added pressure to his lips letting him know she would be quick. She really didn’t want to leave, but Packie had told her he needed some time with him when he woke, whenever that would be. She figured Gerry would want to be the one to have this _talk_. But with him still being underground and in hiding, it would fall on Packie to be the big brother this time around. She leaned back from Niko and ran her fingers along his scruff, “Maybe I can find a razor on my way back?”

“Thanks. Do not want Bernie shaving my face and cutting my hair when I’m asleep.” Both Kate and Packie started laughing at his words. He smiled seeing the lightness come back to Kate’s features. She was okay, alive, and there with him. They would have time to catch up later where things would be more private, and he would have his full strength back.

“I don’t think you’d like what he would want to do.” Kate let out a couple more giggles before getting up off the bed and out of Niko’s arms. She felt so cold the second she was away from his warmth and she shuddered at the chill that seeped into her skin. She picked up his jacket from the folded blankets and pillow and shoved her arms into the sleeves. It was one of the few things she had grabbed from his place when Roman took her back to the apartment to get some things. She was adamant about not leaving the hospital till Niko did. And she had slept wearing his jacket, needing the comfort it provided her.

“Probably not. I’d end up blonde.” Niko teased. He watched as she zipped up his old jacket and let a soft smile tug at his lips. He liked seeing her in his jacket again, even if the memories weren’t of happier times. She had brought it to the hospital, and he didn’t mind at all. She turned to stick her tongue out at him for his remarks before walking over to her brother.

“Go easy on him. He’s only been awake for a little while.” She placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder and sent him a stern glare. She didn’t want him bombarding Niko with a million questions and stressing him out. He was still recovering from his own injuries and didn’t need anything to add to it.

“What do I look like to you?!” Packie jokingly flinched away from her hand, trying to play up his disgust at being touched by his sister. If anything, they were now closer to one another than they ever had been, and he was happy for it. He wanted to thank Niko for somehow being part of his family coming back together and getting closer.

“The second in command to the Irish mob.” Kate deadpanned, removing her hand from his shoulder. She knew he was joking and trying to show off in front of Niko, but it still hurt slightly that he brushed her off. She winked at Niko before heading toward the door to go make sure Bernie was participating in physical therapy.

“Second in com- hey!” Packie did a double take and grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away toward the door. He spun her around and gave her a big bear hug.

She melted into the hug and sighed at the contact. They may not be Gerry’s bear hugs, but Packie’s were just as good. They were firm, strong, and had a slight desperation to them, as if he hadn’t been hugged enough in his life. She returned the hug before pulling away, giving him a gentle smile. They were working on their relationship and she was thankful to have brothers for support. She flicked his nose before walking out the door, pulling it closed behind her.

“I tell you what, she wouldn’t have gotten away with that a month ago!” Packie huffed before turning his attention to his friend, “Listen, I don’t really want to go over this again later, but we need to talk.”

“I figured that’s why you are here?” Niko picked up the bed remote and pressed the button to tilt the bed upright. He didn’t like the low angle he was laying at, and it would be more comfortable for both of them if he were more upright.

“Well. To check up on you too of course. Gave us all a good scare back on the island. Kate’s been spending most of her time in this room watching over you. I had to force her to at least walk the halls to get a break.” Packie walked over to the doctors stool and plopped down on it, swinging himself back and forth slightly to give him a distraction from the heavy topic he was about to bring up. He tightly crossed his arms over his chest in a protective manner.

“She didn’t need to. I clearly was out of it.” Niko studied how uneasy Packie looked. Something was bothering the man more than normal, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.

“You- We all thought you died man. The Navy medical team wasn’t too far behind us that night and followed us toward the shooting we could hear. They managed to get you stable, but when you didn’t wake up after surgery, we all got worried. I don’t know anything about medicine and what not, but they said you were severely hurt and would be lucky to make a full recovery. Kate was out for a day but the only thing she wanted to know when she came to was where you were.” Packie trained his eyes on the numerous vases of flowers that lined the shelves, counter spaces, windowsills, and even along the floor in front of the dresser cabinet that held a speaker that was softly playing music.

“I was dead?” Niko didn’t think that was right. He could conjure flashes of voices and faces as they left the island. But for the most part he just remembered falling asleep and letting his body rest. He was drained of everything he had after shooting Natalya. Maybe he shouldn’t have let go so rapidly…

“No. If you were, it wasn’t for long. Roman got to you first and he went on a full panic episode. I couldn’t find a pulse when we rolled you to your back. Medical team was on you right after.” He let out a long sigh and tightened his hold of his arms, “And to think we had gone through all that trouble just to lose you.” It was his worst fear. They had all been on so many random jobs- child’s play compared to what took place on that fateful night. He didn’t like to admit he was scared, but he was terrified as he drove the boat after the yacht.

“Packie. I’m alright. At the time I thought Kate had been killed. I guess I just gave up for a moment and just wanted to be done with it all.” Niko wasn’t sure what else to offer up as comfort. He could bleakly remember how horrible he felt, how much pain he was in, and he just headed straight for the darkness to get a break from everything. He hadn’t been pushed that hard, to the breaking point, since the ambush.

“Yeah, about Kate. Found her shot in a burning clearing not too far from where Natalya was killed. Did she shoot her in front of you or something? Then you took off? I don’t know why you’d just leave her there.” Packie this time did muster the courage to look at his friend for the answer.

“Natalya managed to shoot me twice in the chest,” Niko rubbed at where he could feel some soreness on his chest, “And when I looked up from my place on the ground, she shot Kate. Once to the chest, and Kate went limp. I thought she had died, and, in my rage, I went after Natalya to kill her for what she had done.” Niko narrowed his eyes slightly. So far there hadn’t been mention of another body in that clearing. He knew Darko had been shot several times after Kate. Had collapsed down to the grass in front of her. “I chased her through the trees, only to find her surrounded by everyone else.”

“Fucking bitch. Now I wish I had shot her too.” Packie let out a frustrated sounding grunt and kicked at the floor with one of his shoes.

“I wish I could have skinned her alive and listened to her screams as they weakened with her bleeding to death.” Niko felt the familiar hatred return to him with how much pain and suffering had come down on all of them because of her.

“And I wish I could have locked her in a room with the three of us and Gerry.”

Packie and Niko turned abruptly to the now open door to see who had interrupted them. Francis walked in slowly, still not sure of his place with everyone, and leaned into the wall. He was in his typical suit outfit, badge and gun on his hip, hair neatly combed over, and a strained frown creasing his forehead. He looked thinner than normal and didn’t carry himself as proudly as he once did. It was as if the world had shoved its full weight against his shoulders and left a long-lasting slump to him.

“Francis?” Niko gave him a once over, not liking the fragile state he was in.

“Yeah it’s me. Been a rough road to recovery.” He gestured to the couch on the other side of Niko’s bed, “May I?”

“I don’t have a problem. Packie?” Niko glanced toward Packie to see if he wanted more time to talk or if Francis was allowed to overhear the conversation.

“Come on in Frankie. Have a seat. I was about to give the _big brother speech_!” Packie exaggerated his words and nodded to his oldest brother. They had worked some of their differences out. Gerry was still rather standoffish and didn’t trust Francis completely. Derrick’s killer was still out there somewhere, and Gerry blamed Francis for not having them locked away yet. Packie continued to shove their last conversation to the side. He was not ready to confront Niko yet about Derrick’s untimely death. Not with how everything had gone to shit shortly after Francis had bolted from his hospital room to go check on Kate.

“Ah. Then I have excellent timing.” Francis let a smirk grace his lips as he made slow progress toward the couch. He eased down next to the neatly folded blankets and pillow. “Good to see you awake Niko. I ran into Kate on her way to the physical therapy gym and she was beyond giddy. I pretty much assumed you were awake without her needing to tell me.” He shrugged slightly and winced at the pain he was still in.

“It’s good to see you alive. It didn’t look good.” Niko was going to have to start thanking whatever deity was watching over him. So far everyone he thought dead, was alive and well. Or mostly well. Francis still looked worse for wear. But so far it seemed like everyone had managed to survive the onslaught brought down on the city.

“No. I was in bad shape. But I pulled through thankfully. Someone was watching out for me. The doctors told me if I hadn’t had the field wound care, I would have bled out long before I made it to the hospital. The clean up effort in Suffolk, the rounding up of the last of Natalya’s men, and the repercussions of the attack have me fairly stressed out. The city is still rather panicky. Can’t blame them.” Francis rubbed his hands along the tops of his thighs to remove some of the sweat that had accumulated on them.

“No.” Niko let them three of them fall into silence. He could almost tell something else was bothering the two men in his room and he sent them both his own questioning stare, “Something tells me that this isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.”

“The city is rather divided. So is the local government. Some want you sent back home since you aren’t a citizen. Others hail you a hero for taking out the terrorist group. That’s the story anyway. I’ve been doing what I can to keep the media off of the hospital. But Deputy Mayor Dawkins wants to give you the key to the city in some fancy ceremony. Mayor Ochoa however is completely against the idea. So is my boss.” Francis looked to his brother to see how much had already been said and discussed. He watched as Packie only shook his head negatively.

“What’s new? I haven’t exactly been given the red carpet treatment since stepping foot in Liberty.” Niko scoffed. So what was new? He was a wanted criminal for the most part, ran jobs for just about every powerhouse in the city, and had just executed the major player that was giving everyone grief.

“I’m planning on running for Police Commissioner. I think if I can get into office, I can sway people’s thoughts on the matter. Ochoa is up for reelection and with the way the citizens are feeling, he will probably lose.” Francis had been trying to run for that office since his mother planted the idea in his head. She was always so proud of his accomplishments, even if they were won by shady dealings and corruption.

“You got my vote. If I was legal.” Niko’s sarcasm was getting better as Packie let out a bark of surprised laughter.

“Francis we gotta get your image better before you’d win that campaign.” Packie tried to control his laughter and get back on topic, “But what he’s trying to get at Niko, is if you’re going to be with our sister, can we keep the level of excitement to a minimum? As in no more car chases, shootouts, drug deals, murders, and kidnappings?”

“Oh so don’t have a typical day with the Irish mob?” Francis muttered and crossed his arms.

“Frankie!” Packie gasped with mock affront, placing the back of his hand to his forehead as if he were in shock.

“Trust me. I am looking forward to doing nothing for a very long time. Roman spoke to me a while back about being a cab driver for his company. I could make honest money.” Niko dropped his head back into his pillow. His headache was growing steadily, and he couldn’t believe he was about to have the ‘talk’ with Kate’s brothers about how to treat her right and what they were expecting out of him.

“That’s the spirit. Lay low like Gerry. Take care of our sis and treat her right. I’ve seen too many tears from her to last me a lifetime.” Packie brightened with his friend’s words.

“And Niko. I am _sorry_ for how I reacted to your relationship with her. If it means anything, I am glad she has you to watch out for her. The enemy list is resting at zero. Please keep it that way.” Francis had to force out his apology to Niko. He didn’t want to forgive and forget, but they were going to be seeing each other a lot more, and he would try for his sister’s sake. He had been working closely with the IAA and FIB to keep them off of Niko’s scent. And he had been informed that everyone who wanted Niko dead was down to no one. It made it slightly easier to let Niko see to his sister’s care.

“I’m not looking for trouble. What I am looking for is time with Kate. I have a lot to make up for.” Niko shifted his eyes between the two brothers hoping that was as far as this conversation was going to go. He did not need to hear them tell him to stay out of her pants or anything bordering on that topic. What they did in their alone time was their business.

“Then I think it’s settled. You treat her right, and I won’t have a need to send the police force after you.” Francis knew he never would. Niko would flip on him so quick and his whole life would be over in a blink of an eye. ‘ _Empty threats will get me nowhere fast.’_

“You keep her happy and I’ll keep Gerry away from you.” Packie teased. He was getting excited at the idea of his sister being happy with his friend, and that his family was accepting of it finally. It had been a long drawn out fight with Francis, Gerry, Kate, and himself about the relationship and what was deemed safe and not okay. Gerry had been on the fence till Packie had convinced him that what had taken place was not all Niko’s fault. How were any of them supposed to know that Dimitri had a psycho cousin hell bent on revenge?

“And when the time comes, _IF_ the time comes, you have my permission. For now! Things can change!” Francis spoke softly. With their Pa being long gone, he had somewhat taken the role over for Kate. He would check in when he could. He watched over her like the rest of them did. And being the oldest, he had hoped that one day, whenever that day would come, he would get to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. ‘ _If she would let me…’_

“Aw! Getting soft on me are ya?!” Packie joked toward his older brother. He had been thinking the same thing since Kate’s first date with Niko. And after Niko’s confession to him down at the docks in Alderney, he was more than happy to gain a brother in law. So long as Kate kept the smile on her face, he would be fine with Niko being part of the family. And he would have one more older brother to harass.

“Thank you.” Niko was once again left speechless. He had never thought he would be considered good enough to be someone’s husband, let alone Kate’s. That had been as far from his mind as he could get it. Till he killed Dimitri and went to Kate’s rescue. She had thrown open every door and possibility to him, and he had never seen some of the paths laid before him. It was new territory. A direction his life was not meant to go down. He still wasn’t sure this wasn’t some kind of bizarre dream where he got to live out his fantasies. It was overwhelming and at the same time exciting. But there was this small kernel of doubt that twisted tightly in his stomach.

“No problem man. It’ll be cool.” Packie nodded a few times as he could see the next few years playing out before him. Good times were on the horizon and he couldn’t wait to see it all unfold. Maybe they could finally throw a house party, and do it properly, without worrying what time Ma would be back from bridge or having Francis crash it.

“I agree for once with Patrick. I’ll be good to have everyone at peace and happy. I think we could all use some down time. The holiday’s are coming up. We just missed Halloween, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Should be the first holiday season where we aren’t all trying to kill each other.” Francis let a genuine smile cross his face. He hadn’t had a traditional, sane, and calm holiday with his family- ever. He couldn’t place once single get together that hadn’t descended into a full blown death match. If it wasn’t with Pa, it was between the brothers.

“Thanks-giving?” Niko had no idea what he was talking about. Roman had never mentioned this holiday in his emails. The typical ones of New Years, Halloween, Christmas, and their own holidays of Armistice Day and Statehood Day. But Thanksgiving was a new one to him.

“Yes cousin! It is quite literally the best American holiday they have! Lots of amazing food, as much as you can eat, and they have a parade here in the city. Mallorie introduced it to me within my first year of being here.” Roman walked into the room and sat down at the foot of Niko’s bed. He and Mallorie had seen Kate with Bernie outside of the gym as they came by to check on his cousin, and one look at her let him know he had woken up. He didn’t mess with the elevator and took the stairs excited at getting to see his cousin alive. Mallorie would wait for the elevator with Kate.

“It is definitely one of those things you got to experience here. There is football, not soccer football, but our football games, good food, booze, and most of everyone is off of work!” Packie fist bumped with Roman as he sat down on Niko’s bed. They had developed a rather weird friendship since spending so much time at the hospital. He liked Roman’s sense of humor and rather wild way of exaggerating stories. He always had a good laugh when Roman was around- either at his expense or someone else’s.

“It’s also meant to have a deeper meaning than all that.” Francis rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling as if asking for patience. He was clearly the oldest out of them all, by age and by maturity level.

“What is all the commotion going on in here?” Mallorie walked into the room, hand firmly placed over her belly, Kate linked together with her other arm. Her eyes landed on Niko and she burst into tears. “Oh my God Niko!” Kate let her arm go as she hurried around the side of the bed by Francis and nearly jumped on Niko, pulling him into a tight hug. She planted kiss after kiss to his cheeks and forehead. “I can not thank you enough for saving my Roman and Kate!”

Niko did his best to slow Mallorie’s movements so he could return the hug properly, “It’s good to see you too Mal. How is the little one?” He had seen the hand on her abdomen and figured things hadn’t gone for the worst.

“Blood clot rupture. Baby is perfectly fine and healthy. The _other_ baby not so much.” She kissed his cheek one last time and smirked over her shoulder at her husband.

“I am just fine. Thank yooouuu very much!” Roman huffed, crossing his arms, but didn’t stop the joy from blooming across his face. He was going to be a father. He had sat in complete awe as the nurse worked the sonogram machine to show the tiny little blip that was a life growing inside his wife. He had never known what his life was truly missing till he was told he was going to be a dad. Mallorie had simply glowed ever since. Their relationship had hit new heights that day and he couldn’t wait to tell his cousin. ‘ _Wait… how does he know already?!’_

Francis scooted the pillow and blankets over to the edge of the couch and moved down to give her a place to sit down. He had gotten to know Niko’s cousin and wife over the last three weeks and had grown rather fond of the fire Mallorie carried. She would make a fierce mother and it reminded him of when his mother was younger and full of life and energy. He patted the space next to him and smiled when she gladly took the offered seat.

“Yes, yes, my dear sweet hubby. You should have seen the look on his face Niko. It was priceless!” She leaned into the shoulder of Kate’s brother and accepted the side hug from him.

Kate moved to lean against the foot of the hospital bed and fought the smile that wanted to break free. She had been somewhat present to the conversation. Mallorie had been in her hospital room waiting on her to come to when Roman had joined her. They had been talking in hushed voices when all of a sudden Roman screamed out. It was what jolted Kate into consciousness. It took a couple of minutes to get reoriented before she knew what was going on. Roman fainted soon after he was told for the eighth time. Once she was coherent enough, she had busted out laughing so hard that she tore a stich or two free from her bullet wound.

“His scream was rather impressive.” Kate smiled and nudged Roman’s shoulder with her fist. She was getting to know Roman rather well and enjoyed his lightheartedness and joy he found in life. He was always so optimistic and the life of the party. He had really been the one to keep her grounded through the past three weeks. He spoke of his cousin at length and told the most interesting stories of their shared childhood. And if it wasn’t Roman who was dishing on Niko, it was Bernie.

“You can say that again! I thought it was _you_!” Packie laughed with the others about that second day. He had heard a high pitched scream coming from his sister’s ICU room and he took off, along with Little Jacob, Badman, and Gerry to see what was wrong. They kicked open the door with guns drawn ready to kill whoever dared to harm Kate, only to see Mallorie short of breath from laughing too much, Kate looking around bewildered, and Roman passed out on the cold floor.

“You be told your going to be a dad after surviving the seven circles of hell and tell me how you handle it!” Roman scoffed and lightened up at Packie’s continued cackling. He could live with the ribbing for now, so long as it didn’t cross any lines.

“It’s nine Roman. Nine circles of hell.” Kate offered as she wiped a couple of tears from her eyes from the laughter that still shook her shoulders. It would be one of those moments that she would hold on to for the rest of her life.

“Oh so I see you went through a couple more than I have!” Roman twisted his head around to stare at her accusingly before the room went up in a new round of laughter.

“I see this is where the party is. I thought I was going to have to jump out a window to get out of physical therapy!” Bernie sighed loudly and plopped back down into the recliner. He was tired, but the energy in the room was intoxicating and was doing wonders to lift his spirits. Everyone was either seated or spaced out around Niko’s bed laughing or smiling uncontrollably at something that had been said. “What ridiculous thing has Roman said this time? Do tell!”

“Hey! Why’s it always me?!” Roman’s voice rose an octave and he nearly fell off the bed when he tried to whip around to point a finger at Bernie. 

“Roman it cha always ya, seen?” Little Jacob closed the door behind him and leaned into the wall by Packie, giving Niko a nod. He had heard a rather ruckus roar of laughter from the elevators and he took off to make sure everything was okay. He could see now that Niko was awake and doing well by the looks of it. Bernie let out a surprised yelp at the way Roman kept snapping his attention between people that were piling on him.

Niko let the smile break through at seeing most of his friends gathered around him. He was safe, his friends and growing family was safe, and everyone was joking around and laughing. It was how he wanted to picture his cousin’s life in America when he boarded the ship to Liberty. He imagined an easier life- one filled with happiness, love, compassion, and acceptance. Instead, he had found what he had run from. But if he was being honest with himself- he had jumped on the bandwagon and missed the chance at making a clean break.

His eyes landed on Kate and she sent him a warm smile, mouthing the words he longed to hear from her again and again. And ones he wanted to return to her every day that life still coursed through his veins. He gave her a quick wink letting her know they would talk later at length, but for now he was content to enjoy the company around him. Their voices were slightly faded to him as he glanced around as Packie yelled out something that caused Mallorie to bend over in a fit of giggles, Francis patting her back softly. Kate leaned into Roman’s shoulder and kept her eyes trained on him, shaking her head at whatever had been said.

Here, laying in the small hospital room, surrounded by smiling people who cared for him as much as he cared for them, he was seeing the start of his slice of the American dream.

aaaaaa

The doorbell rang out through the home and Niko volunteered to go answer it. Kate was busy in the kitchen with Mallorie and Little Jacob’s girlfriend, chatting away and laughing at their inside jokes. They were all working on different dishes for this holiday called Thanksgiving. Something that had been explained to him several different times, in many different ways. It confused him slightly how some people just saw it as an excuse to get together and eat copious amounts of food, before having a full out shopping extravaganza the next morning, while others held it in much higher regard. He blamed it on the American idealism that ran rampant.

Kate had explained to him the history behind the holiday, and why the meaning and significance had diminished over the years. Her family tried every year to celebrate it, but it always turned into a fist fight before the dinner rolls hit the table. This year would be different, and she had told him she had so many things to be thankful and grateful for. And he could agree with her thinking on that front. Their Thanksgiving would hold its own meaning and truth, and hopefully become a new tradition they could uphold year after year. 

The makeshift family had all agreed to have the meal at Roman’s home, and all made plans to get there early to start cooking, baking, and much to Mallorie’s chagrin, drinking. The house smelled amazing and he had to fight off his hunger that kept reminding him that he had skipped breakfast. Apparently, one was to starve before the meal was ready. He had snuck a couple of the deviled eggs from the fridge when no one was looking to try and tie him over. Roman had told him a liquid diet would be better and had promptly started making Irish coffee for everyone present, claiming they had more Irishmen in the house than any other nationality. Packie hadn’t complained one bit.

“If it’s Brucie and he forgot to bring the whiskey, send his ass back home! It was the only thing he could bring that would be useful!” Roman called out from his place on the couch next to Packie. They bumped their coffee mugs at the idea of having something else to toast with after the meal.

“He could have brought a bag of ice too Roman!” Mallorie yelled over the noise of the fan in the kitchen. She chopped a little harder at the onion with her knife and sent a glare in her husband’s direction. 

“Will do Roman.” Niko shouted over his shoulder as he approached the front door. He adjusted the collar of his sweater slightly before reaching for the pistol that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. While he wasn’t expecting anyone to show up that wasn’t invited, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of not being free. He peered through the peep hole and couldn’t see anyone standing on the porch. He leaned back from the door and saw Bernie move into the front hall from the dining room, folded cloth napkins concealing his pistol. They met each other’s eyes and nodded only once. Bernie soundless tossed the napkins to the dining table and moved toward the backdoor to be able to go around to the front. He smiled and waved toward the females that were busy cooking in the kitchen as he exited the door, keeping the gun out of sight.

“Come on. Not today.” Niko whispered to himself before unlocking the door and edging it open a sliver, pistol drawn and at the ready. He glanced both directions before pulling it open all the way. The morning air was chilly, and it felt worse along the coast, as it blasted into the warmth of the house. The leaves had almost all completely fallen off the trees in the yard, covering it in a collage of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. Winter was fast approaching, and he could almost smell the snow in the air. He strained his ears to pick up any sounds beyond the occasional car passing by on the main street of the neighborhood. 

Niko lifted his pistol and turned toward his left to check the driveway. His eyes landed on Bernard who was casually leaning against the wood paneling of the home, arms lightly crossed over his chest, a briefcase hung from one of his hands. He turned his head his direction and let a small smile lift the edge of his mouth, “Happy Thanksgiving!”

“You should know better than to pull something like that.” Niko let out a sigh and moved out onto the front porch. He pulled the door closed behind him and tucked the pistol back into its normal resting place. He didn’t want anyone inside getting concerned and coming out to see what the problem was. He hadn’t spoken to him since getting out of the hospital. Of course, he hadn’t really tried to reach out to him. Kate had kept him rather preoccupied.

“Eh. Someone has to keep you on your toes.” Bernard shrugged and motioned toward the side yard so they could maybe speak privately. There were things that needed to be said, and he didn’t want someone listening in from the other side of the front door. 

“Hi Karen. You can stop aiming your gun at me now.” Niko spoke before glancing to his right to see her somewhat holding her pistol in his direction, eyes wide at having been caught.

“How the hell-”

“You tend to follow wherever he goes.” Niko flicked his thumb in Bernard’s direction, only lifted one of his shoulders in a half shrug and took the couple of wooden steps down from the porch. He had been meaning to check in with her, but when he had been able to walk the halls of the hospital, he was told she had been discharged weeks ago. It was a small relief to see her standing and moving around after taking a sniper round meant for him.

“You can call off Bernie too.” Bernard spoke as he followed Niko down into the front yard.

“I was beyond quiet and in stealth mode! There is no way you knew where I was!” Bernie huffed stamping a foot into the leaf covered lawn, as he emerged from behind the tall bushes along the side of the porch Karen was standing on. He had been quick in his approach and gotten into position when Niko opened the front door. He recognized Karen immediately and felt a snicker want to break free from his smirk.

“Oh my God!” Karen jumped horribly and spun on her heel, hand over her heart, to glare at Bernie. She had not been prepared for someone else to come up behind her.

“At least I got someone!” Bernie smiled and waved to Karen, tucking his pistol away from sight. He walked around the raised front porch and shook Bernard’s hand when he got within reach. They had spoken periodically during the weeks at the hospital and he had come to admire the man who worked for the mysterious IAA.

“I can see if a special someone wants to come out and chat?” Bernie asked quietly to Karen as she moved down the steps to give him a side hug. He figured she was only around to see Gerry, and not just on security detail for her boss. She was still healing from her own injuries, like the rest of them, and hadn’t had the opportunity to see Gerry since.

“If you don’t mind? And only if he wants to. No pressure.” She blushed lightly at Bernie’s offer, patting his shoulder. “I’ll be over by the fence to the driveway. He can stay in cover that way from passing cars.”

“Sure. Give me a minute.” Bernie headed back inside through the front door, closing it quickly to keep the cold from getting in.

“What is it that you drove all the way down to Beachgate to see me?” Niko slowly walked toward the large tree next to Roman’s house and leaned into it, watching the ocean waves. He had felt his trepidation build when he hadn’t seen anyone on the front porch and was working on shoving it to the side. No one had tried to kill any of them since he left the hospital, and he was getting weary of the lull in action. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself now that everyone who hated him was dead. It was as if he missed the thrill of the chase and avoiding death threats.

“For starters, I have a present.” Bernard joined him at his side and pulled a blue passport from his inside jacket pocket. “Pulled a few strings, broke a couple promises, and forged a good number of partnerships in order to get you this. But I think it will be worth it in the end.” He held it out for Niko to take.

“Whose is it?” Niko shifted his eyes between Bernard’s face and the held out passport before taking it from his hand. He flipped it open and had to do a double take. His face stared up at him from the matte finished pages. His name, full name, date of birth, Middle Park apartment address, and all his correct info was neatly typed out in bold black ink. He looked up from the passport to stare at Bernard dumbfounded.

“Some bloke named Niko Bellic dropped it on the docks down in East Hook eight months ago. I am simply returning it to its rightful owner. I also happen to have his driver’s license too if you can point me in the right direction.” Bernard snorted and pulled out a driver’s license from his coat pocket and held it out for him to take. He smiled softly and lowered his voice to a more sincere one, “Welcome to America Niko.”

“Thank you.” Niko took the offered plastic card and checked over the info and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “What all do I owe you for this?” He knew nothing was ever offered freely and he felt the pit in his stomach turn cold. He had been avoiding crime actively since Kate moved into his apartment full time. He had upheld his promise to her and was making money the honest way- even if he could live off the money he had accumulated over his past jobs. But it gave him something to do to pass the time.

“Haven’t decided yet. My bosses have requested I return to Los Santos. Apparently, some idiot in the FIB has been leaking secrets about one of our facilities on the west coast. Can’t let them run their mouth for too much longer.” He watched the waves crash over and over again toward the shore and let out a long breath. He didn’t feel right leaving, but duty calls, and he had to keep the country safe.

“Then hopefully I don’t hear from you for a very, _very_ long time.” Niko tucked the passport and driver’s license into his back pocket. He had hoped their time could be parted on mutual ground and not owe anything to the other. But deep down he knew he owed Bernard a lot. He had kept his side of the oath going, and for that he had his share to give Bernard. The oath went both ways. And while Kate and Roman both were alive and their enemies were vanquished, Niko knew better.

“I won’t call unless I am in dire need. _Maybe you will come to me with good news one day? I do love weddings. Especially ones that don’t end up getting blown to bits. Rice throwing is a much nicer ending._ ” Bernard hesitated before lightly clapping his hand on Niko’s shoulder. He had grown fond of him and his gang of friends. And he would miss the utter ridiculousness that came with being associated with them. He formed a deep respect and understanding for the younger man he stood next to.

“ _I will definitely be sending a wedding invite to you.”_ Niko snorted at the absurdness of the situation. He wasn’t sure how to properly say goodbye to someone who had blackmailed him, saved him, brought him Darko… “ _Any word on our missing person’s case?”_

“ _None. I will keep you updated as I can. But with the distance, it will be more difficult._ ” Bernard gave Niko’s shoulder a squeeze and dropped his hand back to tuck it into his jacket pocket, “Take care of yourself and Kate. I’d say keep in touch, but eh. I’ll be seeing you around.” He looked over his shoulder to see Karen talking to Gerry along the fence that ran the length of Roman’s front yard. They were standing close to each other and he could see the light flirtation that Karen was sporting.

Niko followed his line of sight and shook his head, “She staying?” He didn’t want to think about her dating Gerry. It was already awkward having her pop up randomly in his life after she had almost given hers to save him in the graveyard. And if he was going to eventually be Gerry’s brother in law, him dating his ex would just be completely awkward. He wrinkled his nose at the thought.

“Negative. She is due back at training for espionage and interrogation. Every day our enemies change. The war effort overseas is only getting worse. I’m afraid our services have to adopt tactics with the changing of the times. The world isn’t any safer than it was yesterday. But one bad guy at a time, right?” He extended his hand out for Niko to shake. This is where he would part ways and get back into his line of work. Things really were ramping up back in Los Santos and he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“Don’t go turning into Francis on me. It was good working with you. Good luck on keeping the country safe.” Niko shook Bernard’s hand and locked eyes with the man that had been a good ally through it all. It would be somewhat bittersweet to see him leave.

“I have one more thing for you. And I need you to promise me that you will open it when you are alone.” Bernard returned the handshake and held out the briefcase to Niko. It was his one last gift and surprise for him before he put Liberty in his rearview mirror. At least for now.

“It better not be some kind of bomb.” Niko took the offered briefcase and judged its weight having no clue what could possibly be in it.

“I thought you’d know me better than that. But no. I prefer you alive to dead. Just promise?” Bernard tucked his hands deeper into his coat pockets and fought the shiver his body wanted to produce against the cold air that hung over them.

“Fine. I promise. I’ll call once I open it.” Niko let his arms drop to sides and gave Bernard one last skeptical glare. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, but he couldn’t tell what was inside of the case.

“Everything okay out here?” Kate took the steps down from the porch and headed in their direction, only to see Niko shift a briefcase behind his body.

“Kate. It’s good to see you again, but I’m afraid my time here in Liberty is being cut short. Perhaps we can all meet up for dinner if I get back in town?” Bernard held his hand out for her to shake and was caught off guard when she moved into him and gave him a large hug.

“Thank you for everything. I won’t forget it. And I won’t forget you.” Kate hugged the man that Niko told her helped him get to the island. She may not know his name still, but she trusted him with her life. She smiled when he returned the hug firmly. He had been there for her during the statements she was required to give and acted on her behalf when FIB got a little heated. He had also acted as a great stand in therapist to her.

“It was nothing. Keep an eye on him, will you?” Bernard had to ignore the guilt and yearning to hold his daughter again. The hug had yanked his daughter and wife’s smiling face to the forefront of his mind, and he fought the lump that wanted to form in his throat. He hadn’t had much in the sentiment department for years and he was touched at how open she was with hugs. It wasn’t something he was expecting, but he was grateful for it.

“That is definitely something you don’t have to worry about. Wish you could’ve stayed for Thanksgiving lunch, well dinner. It’ll be ready in an hour or two.” Kate shifted out of his arms and smiled up at him, hoping to be able to convince him to stay. It would be nice to have a couple more people at the table to celebrate their victory and new beginnings. 

“Ah. As tempting as that is, I have a flight to catch. Another time.” He shook her hand when she extended it out to him. His scheduled flight time was rapidly approaching, and he made time to make a pitstop at Roman’s on their way to the airport.

“Alright. Don’t be a stranger.” She leaned back into Niko’s arms when he approached her, “Go save the country and all.” Niko wrapped his arms around her shoulders and dropped the side of his head to hers. Kate lifted her hands to hold on to his forearms, then looked down confusedly at the briefcase that hung before her in Niko’s hand.

“Yes ma’am!” Bernard saluted her and walked toward the blacked out SUV that was parked in the driveway, waving to Karen to finish it up. Their time had come to part ways.

“I’ll miss them. In my own way of course.” Kate whispered as she watched Karen lean up to place a kiss to Gerry’s cheek. Gerry tugged her back to him and planted a rather passionate kiss to her, fisting his hands into the short brown hair. He released her and kissed her forehead one last time before Karen moved out of his arms toward the waiting SUV.

“Nah.” Niko grunted when she lightly elbowed him in the stomach, “Okay maybe a little. Look what I have now.” Niko pulled out the passport and driver’s license to show her that he was officially an American now, as well as a Serbian national. He lowered the briefcase to the ground so he could hold on to her better.

“Are these real?” Kate breathed out excitedly, watching as he opened the passport to show off his picture and information. They had discussed his citizenship long into the early morning light one evening after a rather extensive make out session. He had expressed the need to make his own roots and she had told him in order to really make money legally, he would need either a visa or become a citizen. The visa option was off the table as he was still wanted for crimes in his home country. 

“As real as I am standing here. Looks like you aren’t dating just Europe anymore.” He smiled at her laugh. They used to call each other countries and regions on the phone when they first started to hang out. It had thrown him off the first time she had called saying she was America and Ireland. It was just another quirk he loved about her.

“Mm. But I like the sophisticated European.” She leaned back into him and looked up to meet his eyes. She was happy for his citizenship but would miss the thrill of dating someone who lived on the edge.

“And he likes America… and Ireland.” He kissed her smiling lips and glanced up in time to see Karen hop up in the passenger seat. Bernard waved one final time before backing out of the driveway and driving off down the street, off to whatever next adventure awaited him. He gave a silent prayer in hopes that he would one day cross paths with him, and it not lead to an all-out war.

“Such a shame. I was hoping to say goodbye to her. At least this time we were both fully clothed.” Bernie huffed out sadly, leaning into the wooden column on the porch. He took the steps quickly, coming to stand at Niko’s side. He had kept his distance and stood guard from inside the house, watching out the windows. He was still on edge and suspicious of anything and everyone. He was getting better at it, but sometimes it was hard for him to shake the uneasy feeling of being out in public… or being alone.

“There is always next time Bernie.” Niko offered as the SUV turned the corner and disappeared from his sights.

“No thank you. I’m good.” Bernie smiled and jerked his head back toward the house, “You coming back inside? It’s rather cold out here.”

“You got that right. It’s damn near freezing out here.” Gerry grumbled as he moved past them all toward the porch to get back inside the warm home. He had said what he wanted to say, and he would need several more drinks to try and forget the kiss he had given her. It had been impulsive and last second. She had given every signal to him but regretted that she would have to leave. The half attempt at ‘let’s stay in touch’ felt cold and empty. They lived two very different lives that could not exist within the other. His hand flexed around the doorhandle, before jerking it open, needing that drink even more now.

“KATE! Water’s boiling!” Mallorie screamed out once Gerry opened the front door.

“Shit. Come on. Let us finish cooking and settle down for one amazing meal! Galina said she would be by soon with some of her desserts and pastries. Which I can _not_ wait for!” Kate ran her finger over Niko’s picture in the passport and felt her heart lift. Things had been looking up for all of them and she was ready to see where life took them next. She had her family all together for Thanksgiving and was enjoying getting to show Niko the traditions of her birth country.

“Ugh! Please tell me she is bringing some of those krofne of hers. They are just beyond amazing. Horrible for my diet, but who cares right? This is the cheat day, correct?” Bernie offered his arm to Kate and started to lead her back to the front door, rambling on about all the sweets he had tried there, and which ones Kate would need to divulge into. They paused on the front porch and looked back to Niko who had turned to look back out at the ocean.

“You coming?” Bernie called, glancing down to see the worried expression cross over Kate’s face.

“Yeah. Sorry. On my way.” Niko shook his head and headed after his girlfriend and best friend into the warm, and deliciously smelling home. He would have time later to mull over everything that kept trying to invade his thoughts.

aaaaaa 

The spread of food was expansive. Dishes from multiple cultures were laid out along the surface of the marble island in the kitchen. Everything from the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, to the more exotic side dishes from Puerto Rico and Jamaica, and the savory and sweet desserts from Niko and Roman’s home country provided by Galina. It may not look like every other American’s typical Thanksgiving spread, but it was theirs, and they all couldn’t be more thankful for what they had in front of them.

The group of friends, who felt more like family since the events surrounding Roman and Mallorie’s wedding, gathered around and took each other’s hands to say grace. Each took their turn adding to what they were most thankful for and that they were grateful to be alive and able to be with loved ones on this special day. Roman had started to ramble on and Mallorie kicked his foot as her stomach growled loudly to hurry it up. She had a baby to provide for.

One by one, they piled their plates high with food and took a spot in the dining room. Stories were swapped, food was passed around, drinks were poured, and the joyous sound of laughter lifted to fill the home. Every where Niko looked all he could see was peace and happiness. But somewhere deep down he still felt depressed. Like he wasn’t meant to be sitting here next to Kate at his cousin’s dining room table enjoying wonderful food. In the middle of Packie retelling the story of how he met Niko, he excused himself quietly from the table. Kate sent him a concerned look, but he kissed it away saying he needed to use the bathroom.

He headed toward the back of the home and slipped out the backdoor needing some fresh air. The sun was slowly making its trek down to the horizon and was in the beginning stages of painting the sunset. He walked over toward the edge of the fenced in part of the yard and leaned into one of the posts, letting out a soft sigh. He should be happy, overjoyed even, that things were finished. He had won. He had succeeded in everything he wanted to accomplish in life. What was there to worry over?

He had someone he loved, who loved him back. His cousin was married and had a child on the way. His friends were alive and well. Everything was looking up for him, so why couldn’t he shake the feeling of the other shoe needing to drop. Hadn’t it already crashed down to earth when Kate had been shot? He was confused and it bothered him greatly.

He was done with the life of crime. No one had tried to pull him back in. Kenny had kept his word and left him alone. The Italian mobs were all scrambling to get into his good graces and those of Gerry, who had shook the underground world with his triumphant return from the dead. With his new citizenship the local government should start to leave him alone. Every single loose end was knotted off perfectly in a bright red bow- so why was he outside moping?

“ _This is what you wanted, was it not_?” Niko spoke to no in in particular. The wind gently skimmed along the yard and picked up a couple of fallen leaves. ‘ _I have it all, yet it feels like I do not…’_

“Hey, are you sure everything is okay?” Kate pulled Niko’s jacket she wore around her tightly as the air was cooler outside and it caused her to shiver against it. She had heard the backdoor open and close and knew something was bothering her boyfriend. In the middle of everyone laughing loudly and seeing them distracted, she made her move to leave the table. If something was wrong, she needed to know.

“I do not know. It should be. Yet I can’t shake this weird feeling.” He held his arm out to her as she got closer and pulled her to his chest. He always felt somewhat better when he held her, and he could feel the depressing thoughts scatter to the recesses of his mind when she leaned her cheek against his chest.

“I know how you feel. Everything is perfect, and yet it feels too perfect. I think we are just used to everything being so wrong, we don’t know what to do with ourselves now that its all so…?” She shrugged not knowing what word would best describe her feelings. She turned her head to lay her other cheek on Niko’s chest wanting to see the start to the sunset. Roman’s backyard had the best view in all of Liberty City in her opinion. The ocean, beach, the skyline in the distance. It was so breathtakingly beautiful.

“That sums it up rather well.” Niko let his eyes close as he held on to her tightly. She did have a point. He was so accustomed to looking over his shoulder constantly, and now that he knew everyone was long dead, he couldn’t let up with the paranoia. What was his life without the crime, murder, and always needing to be one step ahead of the law and enemies?

“I hope you don’t think I’m bored or anything. I am very satisfied at the moment to have the quiet. Just getting to take our time in the morning and nights, having no where important to be, lounging around watching tv or a movie- it is wonderful and just what we needed. Plus, the _other_ activities have been rather enjoyable.” She looked up to him and watched the spark flicker in his eyes at her mention of their more intimate moments.

“Well if you were bored, I’d just have to find ways to rid you of the boredom. And I have a few suggestions.” He let his hands trail down her body to settle on her hips.

“You know what I mean though. Ever since we settled down in the apartment, it seems like things are too quiet at times.” She tilted her head to the side to see if he got her meaning or not. The wind picked up and blew a couple of loose curls into her face.

“I understand. I was thinking maybe we should try to book one of those rooftop dinners for New Years. So we can see the fireworks off the Humboldt?” He cupped her cheek, running his thumb over the faint scar that graced her soft skin. He tucked the curls back behind her ear and smiled seeing the earrings that glimmered in the early evening light.

“That sounds lovely. If you are up for it, maybe we can get everyone together for it? We’ve all been through a lot, and it would be nice to put it all past us and start fresh. As a family.” She leaned into his touch, hoping he wasn’t against it being everyone. Though, now that she had said it, she kind of wanted it to just be them. A romantic dinner among the glittering lights of the Algonquin skyline, glorious fireworks show at midnight, a rather speedy drive home, just to welcome in the new year joined together as one. A deep blush rose over her cheeks as her thoughts tumbled around how passionate Niko could be under the sheets.

“By the looks of it, we might be better served with it being just us.” He leaned down pressing a light kiss to her grinning lips. He pressed their foreheads together and opened his eyes to see her staring back at him, “You know that I love you, yes?”

“And I love you more.” She rose up on her tip toes to place a kiss of her own to him, sliding her hands up his chest to loop her arms around his neck. Her heart was full, overflowing with her love for him. He had shown her things that used to terrify her. He had held her hand and guided her into a brand new world, full of life, excitement, and joy. He had somehow reunited her family together, given her a new one in the making, and opened her eyes to what the world had to offer her. She was no longer scared to leave the house. She still had her second guessing to fall back on, but she was getting better at letting go and trusting him.

He lifted her off the ground as he pulled her to him, deepening the kiss. She was his breath of fresh air, and he would cherish it for the rest of his life. He felt something shift and lock into place in his soul. The missing piece that he was expecting to show after Dimitri’s death, after letting Darko go, after killing Natalya. There was a fullness that was settling into his chest, warming his heart. He didn’t need to seek revenge, he needed to seek out love, life, and a new beginning. He was being offered that new beginning with her. The void shrank rapidly to be replaced by an ocean of gratitude and fulfillment.

He spun her around, smiling as she giggled at his actions. For the first time in his life, he could clearly identify what he was feeling as joy. He had made it. He had it all, would work to keep it all, and didn’t feel the bloodlust that usually simmered away under his skin. He felt so light, as if he would take off into the setting sun. Her smile brightened as he went in for another kiss. There was no place he wanted to be more, than right here, kissing on the angel that had been placed on this earth for him to find.

Clapping started up and they both jumped somewhat to see that all their friends and family had gathered outside around the lawn chairs. A couple of cheers came from Packie and Brucie. Roman held onto his own wife, smiling brightly to him, as Mallorie wiped a few happy tears from her face, letting her left hand rest over the growing baby bump. Francis and Gerry exchanged glances but otherwise seemed content and happy to be around one another and getting to see their sister’s happiness. Little Jacob held his girlfriend next to Badman and sent them a nod. Galina placed her hands over her heart and smiled their direction from the lawn chair she rested in. Bernie leaned into a tree that was close to the house and gave a thumbs up.

He glanced down the row of houses along the cliff of the ocean and spotted someone on a motorcycle parked on the road in front of Faustin’s old mansion. They saluted him the old comrade signal off the side of the helmet and drove the bike out of sight. He let a soft smirk lift the corner of his mouth knowing that even Darko was there for him when the time came.

Niko looked down into Kate’s beautiful eyes and let his own happiness wash away the last few bits of depression that wanted to cling to him. He felt the words come to him that had been said in bitterness on Happiness Island. Only this time, he knew he had his own slice of the dream. This time he had the new start he didn’t know he needed when he headed to Liberty City and his cousin.

This time he was ready to start over and do things the right way. To have the bright and glorious future that eluded him for so long- with Kate on his arm, Roman, Bernie, and his friends and family at his side. The dark and tumultuous chapter could be finally closed.

“So, this is what the dream feels like, this is the victory we longed for…”

And with those words, he kissed the love of his life against the backdrop of the city and the setting sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N): Well that’s all folks! Happy, or not happy, 2021, since it came in swinging.
> 
> I am so pleased with how this story came out! From some random idea of wanting to write Dimitri’s end with Niko, to giving Roman a rehearsal dinner, to letting Niko have both Kate and Roman in the end. This has been one spectacular journey for me- not just as a writer, but as a reader and person. I’ve met so many awesome people who have sent me messages and comments. 
> 
> I have so many parts and sections of this story that I love and hope you all got to enjoy them as much as I did. It was definitely one large and long hilly rollercoaster of a story. And to think I almost didn’t want to share the story. I have a few more ideas floating around in my head of where to take things next. But for now, I think I am going to go sit down and reread this novel of work and enjoy it for a time.
> 
> The best summary I can give for the next installment- Niko and Kate work on building their relationship through the new year (2009- what a year that was!!!), while juggling Mallorie’s pregnancy, Niko’s past, Francis’ bid for Police Commissioner, and Packie’s dream of branching out on his own to Los Santos. I got a couple of surprises mapped out already that I will want to include. I gotta go jump on some online GTA V to try and remember all the heists and missions that take place. (since online is set between IV and V).
> 
> Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and commented on this story! You have all been amazing encouragement to keep going when I truly felt like stopping for months at a time. Thank you again!
> 
> One Love!


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